Creed II Brought Back the Eye of the Tiger

Photo of Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan as Rocky Balboa and Adonis Creed, respectively.
Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures

"Creed II" brings back familiar elements from the previous "Rocky" films. While it is more predictable than original, it allowed the main character, Adonis Creed, to mature and bring back the eye of the tiger that hasn't been seen in a long time. With a surprising story and the right cast to tell it, "Creed II" went the distance of entertainment and succeeded.

After battling and earning the respect of "Pretty" Ricky Conlan, Adonis Creed (played by Michael B. Jordan) has risen to the world heavyweight championship. But it's time for him to preserve his title, in and out of the ring, against Viktor Drago (played by Florian Munteanu), son of Ivan Drago (played by Dolph Lungdren), the man who beat his father to death in 1985. Through his trainer, Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone), secondary trainer, Tony "Little Duke" Evers (played by Wood Harris), and his girlfriend Bianca Taylor (played by Tessa Thompson), Adonis will overcome the conflict with the Dragos and rewrite the history upon his family name.

Photo of Viktor Drago (played by Florian Munteanu) and Ivan Drago (played by Dolph Lungdren). Photo Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures

One of the things I liked watching were the discussions about family. Adonis realizes that he must win to bring honor upon his late father and to show his newborn daughter something to be proud of. Rocky is there to remind his pupil not to let negative media attention provoke him to use the Creed name in vain against Viktor. It was very moving to see Bianca go through her hearing disorder to keep her relationship with Adonis, her daughter, and her career afloat.

Photo of Tessa Thompson as Bianca and Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed. Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Warner Bros, Pictures.

Those two moments were great to watch because I like seeing someone willing to do anything to keep a family falling from grace to grass. And though it angers me how he showed no remorse against Apollo or Rocky, I'm a little saddened that Ivan shows more hunger for vengeance than affection towards his son. I'm glad that he knew when to throw in the towel and make amends. In both negative and positive ways, "Creed II" shows that nothing is stronger than the bond of a family.
Though he never knew his father, Adonis shared many of his old tendencies. Just as Apollo brought back Rocky in the third film, Adonis went through an extreme training regimen to get more heart than rage against Viktor. His running behind a car in the hot, dry desert and hitting the ground with a sledgehammer prepared him for more pain tolerance, and I loved it. And the way he entered Russia with "Midnight", sung by Thompson's character, showed his ostentatious side, same as Apollo had during his first and last fight.
Russell Hornsby's character of Buddy Marcell carries a Don King personality, as he's eager for a sensational fight between Creed and Drago, and he will goad them to battle to the death, if necessary.
And aside from helping Apollo, Rocky still has his own familial issues to reconcile, more specifically with his son, Robert.
All in all, it was a blast to see Adonis Creed come back with the eye of the tiger. Now that he has restored greatness to his name, I do not know what's left for him to battle. The same goes for Rocky Balboa. The different questions and sequences of fighting and stories about family legacy served the film will. If you wish to see how Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone combat their own demons again, feel free to watch "Creed II" at your local movie theater.