GUEST POST BY DAVID ROBINSON

“Creed” is directed by Ryan Coogler and stars Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson.

This is the seventh addition to the “Rocky” franchise and tells the story of Donnie Johnson; the son of Rocky Balboa’s former rival and best friend, Apollo Creed. Sylvester Stallone reprises his role as the former heavyweight champion of the world, Rocky Balboa, who mentors Adonis to achieve his dreams of becoming a professional boxer.

Before I begin, let me just say that I am a huge fan of the “Rocky” franchise and was so excited when I heard about this movie. Not just because it’s the new “Rocky” film, but also because it’s based off of the legacy of my favorite “Rocky” character, Apollo Creed.

Before I saw this movie, I took the liberty of digging through my movie collection and re-watching all of the “Rocky” films to prepare for this movie and, in addition to that, I also found another Ryan Coogler/Michael B. Jordan film on Netflix called “Fruitvale Station”, which absolutely blew me away with it’s ability to capture dark human emotions and situations through a camera.

I had high expectations going into “Creed”. Not just because I wanted to see a good boxing movie, but also because I wanted to see if Coogler and Jordan could pull of the same success they got from “Fruitvale Station” and all I can say is “Creed” does not disappoint.

This is one of the best films I have seen all year. Michael B. Jordan does a phenomenal job of bringing his character to life through character development and emotional acting, as well as getting physically fit to play a boxing role.

An aspect of this film that I also found to be surprisingly good was Sylvester Stallone, because I’ve personally found Stallone’s previous films to be very meatheaded and senseless. However, not only was Stallone’s performance as Rocky very heartfelt and realistic, it was also so well done that I feel as though Stallone could potentially earn an Oscar nomination for “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” along with Jordan for best “Best Actor in a Leading Role”.

The cinematography and visual aspects of this film are also done with so much care and effort that you feel the vibe and grit of Philadelphia’s streets inside of you as you watch this film. All scenes off the street, that are done in the ring and the gyms, make you also feel like you are actually inside the ring with Donnie and Rocky as they take on their opponents.

The soundtrack of this film also did an awesome job of bringing a tough mood to the scenes in the film and in case you’re wondering just how much the soundtrack adds to this movie, I actually began to get goosebumps during the training sequences and match scenes due to how hard the soundtrack hit me.

“Creed” separates itself from all other boxing movies, like the previous “Rocky” films and July’s “Southpaw”, due to the high levels of suspense that resonate in this movie’s atmosphere. You never are 100 percent sure what’s going to happen to Donnie in his fights or to any of the other characters due to the careful character progression that builds up throughout the movie. With every hook and jab Donnie takes, you’re saying in your head, “He may not win this…”

The hype that is created from this film’s boxing sequences was so intense that audience members in the theater I was in started “oohing”, “aahing”, cheering, clapping and whistling during them. It’s that good.

I’m going to give “Creed” an “A” and I highly encourage anyone who enjoyed the previous “Rocky” movies, anyone who likes boxing movies, people who like good soundtracks, people who enjoy good dramas and anyone who likes movies to go see the best “Rocky” movie since the first one; “Creed”.