First things first: the "Rocky" films have always had a special place for me and seeing this spin-off from the franchise almost did it more harm than good...ALMOST. Watching this for a second time without the influence of the "Rocky" films works and...trust me on this guys, as a standalone film about boxing (the Creed name adding credibility to it) this works. Now I'm not saying that this measures up to the "Rocky" films but it is a damn good effort; one can say that this film and the breath taking but highly unoriginal film "southpaw" are in a league of their own. There are a few nods to the original "Rocky" film and the meeting with Rocky himself is one of the great moments itself resulting in Stallone giving a performance that is on par with his performance in the underrated "copland". But like I said before, it is better to distance this from the "Rocky" films as it cannot hold a candle to the well earned legacy of those. However, I will say that director and co-writer Ryan Coogler gets most things right and this movie does deserve the recognition of being a love letter to the "Rocky" films. Adding to this is the fight choreography which is nothing short of spectacular and the soundtrack which is an up-beat mesh of hip-hop infused with the originals score. Both emotive with splashes of comedy thrown in, Stallone and Michael B Jordan deliver impressive performances and that is all the more reason that this film must be seen. Jordan is more than capable of shouldering the Creed" name but will be better if he makes his own legacy. "Creed" is a mirror image of the "Rocky" films and an overall outstanding film making a very intimate film for fans and newcomers alike. A worthy watch.
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