Creed

Director: Ryan Coogler (2015)

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad

This is a fantastic spinoff of the Rocky movies. In this one, Balboa is a coach dealing with a cancer diagnosis. This movie is far from corny. The angle of Apollo Creed’s son being coached by Rocky, gives this film a great plot twist to follow.

Plot: The film follows Adonis “Donnie“ Johnson, the son of late former heavyweight boxing former heavyweight world champion Apollo Creed, on his journey from what the boxing world calls a “bum” to eventually being called the future of boxing.

At the end of his metaphorical rope, Johnson turns to Balboa, his “uncle,“ to train him for the biggest fight of his career — not a title fight, but similar to the opportunity Balboa was given against Creed 40 years prior. Along the way, Balboa is diagnosed with cancer, which adds drama to the climactic final scene.

Opinion/Review: Jordan is fantastic, and he and Stallone have genuine chemistry on the screen. The subplot of Johnson’s ascending-musician girlfriend losing her hearing is a nice twist, and the overall vibe of the film very much matches the original “Rocky” franchise.

Fun Facts: Stallone received three major awards as “best supporting actor“ for the film — including the Golden Globes — but while nominated, he was denied the Oscar. … Rotten Tomatoes has a 95% approval rating for “Creed,” one of its highest ratings on record.