Rocky Movies Part II

My discussion on the Rocky films, continued.  Spoilers below:                                                                     

Rocky V  (1990)

Rocky V has a reputation as the nadir of the series.  Stallone has said that it is because he created a story that is too depressing and Rocky movies are supposed to be inspiring.  The producers have said that the film was scripted for Rocky to die at the end until an 11th hour change which gives the film a mixed tone.  I will admit I have a soft spot for it because after all the showiness of Rocky IV it tried to go back to focus on the characters and develop the relationship between Rocky and his son, which had not been don until this point.  However despite some interesting ideas the script and the execution of the film is a little sloppy.

In the story Rocky pays a huge price for going off to fight Drago in the previous film.  Upon returning Rocky learns that he is suffered from brain damage from all head blows he has suffered over his career but particularly from the fight with Drago.  Secondly his accountant tricked him into giving him power of attorney over his assets while he was in Russia and the accountant made a risky bet with Rocky's money that went south and he is forced to declare bankruptcy and move back to South Philadelphia.  While there Rocky's son is bullied at his new tougher school, Rocky reopens Mickey's gym and starts working with a young fighter with similar gifts to him, who ultimately falls under the spell of an unscrupulous promoter, George Washington "Duke". 

I will start with the things I like.  

• After the supersonic pace of Rocky IV, and to a lesser extent, III, Rocky V, which was helmed by original Rocky director John G. Avildsen, slows things down and there are a lot of longer scenes, though in many ways it still feels like a Stallone directed film with a lot of montages.  
• The re-edited Drago fight emphasizes how many times Rocky took brutal hits.  
• The film is the first in the series that retroactively makes Rocky IV better by showing the consequences of that film.
• Rocky still tries to fight for respect for himself despite the challenging circumstances.  The film softly addresses fame with people saying hi to Rocky everywhere he goes.  
• The scene in which Rocky first goes to Mickey's gym and we get to see a new scene with Burgess Meredith as Mickey. While long sweet speeches were definitely not Mickey's thing, Rocky memory is probably distorting the some of the actual words but he clearly understands the actual message.  The ethereal light gives the impression that Mickey is visiting from heaven.
• There are a lot of scenes of the Balboa family together.  Stallone works very well with his son Sage.
• Robert solves his problem with the bullies by himself showing a lot of the resilience of his parents.
• Even though the Paulie as Santa Claus scene is corny, it feels like something a crazy uncle might do.  Robert is just too old to enjoy it and especially in front of his friends his reaction is about spot on for a kid that age.
• Rocky's enthusiasm of working with Tommy and getting reconnected to the boxing world.
• Rocky has a line in the film indicating he will get the money back.  At the end of the film the Balboas are not rich again but Rocky clearly would have made some money from managing Tommy, who was very successful, for the time he did and as popular as he is would have many avenues to make money again.  As a trainer Rocky would be in demand from other up and coming contenders.  Rocky could also provide commentary, write a book, or do other things in boxing to improve his situation.  A book released to publicize the next film stated that Rocky and Adrian did eventually recover some of their lost money and opened a restaurant so while it would have taken time they did not struggle indefinitely.  I like that the film does not focus on that but more on the effect of it on the family.
• The scene in which Rocky and Paulie watch Tommy's title fight.  Rocky's loose energy, particularly when he can't help but hit the punching bag is powerful, especially when timed with Paulie's initial reaction.  Stallone performance when Tommy thanks Duke instead of Rocky is moving.  Rocky's face drops just slightly but he literally shakes it off not wanting his family to feel bad for him.  Adrian and Paulie share a look agreeing to take Rocky out to cheer him up, and Paulie's immediate reaction to it, is sweet.  He also has moments with both Adrian and Robert showing he really is ok and just appreciates that his family is there for him.  This smaller scene is much more moving than the scene with Tommy's car even though it has a similar dynamic (Rocky's enthusiasm for Tommy, subsequent disappointment, grounded with the family).
• While the moment that Rocky decides to fight is contrived the scene has some strong moments.   Paulie standing up for Rocky is nice.  Stallone as Rocky gives a chilling look to Tommy after Paulie is hit.  Avildsen uses a handheld camera to increase the tension as Rocky gets up to face Tommy and focuses his energy on taking Tommy down.  Bill Conti's score plays a low tense melody. Once Tommy approaches Rocky is on him so fast there is nothing Tommy can do, showing how much better of a fighter Rocky is at his core.  Then afterward the moments when Rocky breaks down, as people often do after exploding in anger.  The anger was covering up the pain of the betrayal.  Dramatically this should have been the end of the scene, with Tommy knocked down and beaten up even though he just won the heavyweight title.  
• The scene in front of the statue with Rocky and his son is the perfect ending for this story.
• The Elton John song "Measure of a Man" is a fitting theme for the entire series, and has been forgotten.

The things I did not like:

• Rocky's son ages about five or six years between IV and V.  While it is more interesting to see Robert (who previously was known as Rocky Jr.) as a teenager adjusting to his new surroundings and this film was made five years later, as this film starts directly after IV it led my kids to immediately ask about the change.
• Richard Gant gives an energetic performance as George Washington Duke but the character is so thinly conceived as simply a cruel version of Don King that he becomes grating.  I do like the character's name though.  
• Did Rocky really not help his son at all with the bullies?  I can't believe Rocky would not take a few minutes to show his son how to throw a punch to be able to defend himself especially if Robert is in the gym himself.  
• Stallone overly slurs most of Rocky's speech in this film, perhaps as a result of the brain damage, but it sounds weird and is unexplained. 
• The long scene in which Duke confronts Rocky in front of the pet shop is unfocused and only serves to show how nasty Duke is, though it does give Adrian a moment where she stands up to him.  Duke is pretty dumb to call the two time heavyweight champion a "damn fool" in front of his wife.
• There is a missed opportunity with Tommy mentioning he became a fighter because of his abusive father.  If Tommy had taken Rocky's refusal to train Tommy once he signed with Duke as a form of betrayal that reminded him of his father then his anger toward Rocky in the third act might have seen justified.  Instead his motivation for turning on the one person who had his back when he most needed it is a single tough press conference which is narratively weak.
• There are two montages in the middle of the film broken up only by the moment when Robert fighting back against his bullies.  Both montages play over a full song and are trying to recapture the feeling of the ones in Rocky IV.  But I liked those songs much more and really the first one (which had the better song) could have been edited to include all the main points (Rocky helps Tommy rise in the boxing world but neglects his family).  
• Why does Paulie, who is not one to be walked over, let Duke into the Balboa household?  Adrian's reaction to seeing Duke inside is good though.
• The scene in which Rocky almost begs Tommy not to go with Duke is too big, with Rocky pathetically running alongside Tommy's car.  Adrian almost saves the scene by getting Rocky to focus back on his family.
• Tommy's assault on civilians during the big fight at the end is a contrivance to have him arrested at the end.  What nonfighter would step anywhere near the new heavyweight champion whose blood is boiling even if it is to defend Rocky? 
• Except for the previously mentioned beginning, the whole fight is messy and only exists because audiences expect a fight at the end of a Rocky movie.  The score has an electronic synthesized sound that is out of place.
• Rocky's punching of Duke at the end is a stereotypical move at the end of an action film where the hero finally knocks out the guy who has been annoying him the whole story.  Stallone's cop film Cobra had a similar moment.  There are two problems, putting aside that it does feel good to see Duke literally take one of Rocky's hits.  First, Rocky has proven that he is above that type of behavior and by taking down Duke's fighter he has already beaten him (Duke has put all his chips on Tommy and is probably ruined).  Second, Rocky would have been arrested right alongside Tommy for assaulting a civilian.

I was torn if I should give this film two or three stars.  Two is probably fitting due to the sloppy plotting but I enjoyed the experience of watching it with my sons and we all got caught up in it so I give it ***.

Rocky Balboa (2006)

There was a lot of public skepticism when this film was announced in 2005.  I knew Stallone had been campaigning to get it made for a few years and had even posted a few script pages in his magazine, some of which I had read, but the muted reception to Rocky V and his own lack of recent box office success (Stallone had several big films in the 90s but most did much more business overseas than in the U.S.) MGM had been resistant.  Since Rocky movies always have him fighting and Stallone was 59, though still in very good shape, this seemed iffy at best and I feared another poorly received Rocky film could ruin this terrific character's legacy.  But a statement released by MGM showed a lot of faith in the script and the pages I saw at Adrian's grave, looked pretty good so there was potential.  Stallone had scripted as always and returned to the director's chair as well.  The film was budgeted at about $25 million, which made it pretty low risk. 

I saw this film during a challenging time in my career and was feeling a little like Robert does in the film (though without the parental bitterness) and this film gave me the jolt that I turned to in order to leave an uncomfortable situation and eventually right the ship and am much happier and accomplished now.  Each time I need to inspire myself or feel tempted to point fingers at life's challenges I put on the speech that Rocky gives his son about taking what life gives you and facing its hardships and it always helps.

Rocky's quest to regain some of his voice by boxing again is a metaphor for Stallone's fight to get the film made.  He was the biggest box office star who for years could not get a sequel made for his most popular character even though he had a lot to say.  Rocky Balboa, named such instead of Rocky VI, is perhaps the best named since this film gives us an in depth look at the character thirty years after his first story.  The film starts with the song from the first one, "Take You Back" as the camera careens through Philadelphia and the film is taking us back into Rocky's world.  Rocky is in late middle age and four years before the start of the film, lost Adrian to ovarian cancer, and is stuck looking backwards, spending hours at Adrian's grave.  A lot of color is drained from this section of the film.  I was a little concerned too here because while the old clips of Adrian are touching I wanted the film to be about something other than highlights of the past.  Stallone realizes this too and has Paulie, in his typical way, tell Rocky to stop looking backwards.  This leads him back to his old bar where he reconnects with Little Marie, the teenage girl from the first film, and the story starts to go to new places.

Marie is much kinder than before but life as a single mother in a tough part of the city has beaten up on her.  She is played by Geraldine Hughes, an Irish actress, who may have been cast because she is a little younger and prettier than Jodi Letizia who played the part in the original film.  Marie and Rocky develop a relationship which would be a romance in any other film, but Rocky's devotion to Adrian precludes this, so it becomes what he really needs, which is companionship.  Rocky has a place to put all his kindness which starts with the scene outside the bar.  

Up to this point in the film Rocky is in a downbeat mood and Marie seems much the same.  He recognizes that the girl in the bar is being pushed around by the big guy and tells her to stand up for herself.  When the same fellow trying to show off follows him outside and is foolish enough to calls Marie a "pig" it wakes something up in him.  Stallone uses a handheld camera to show Rocky shoving the guy against a wall and making him apologize.  The moment gives the film a big jolt.  It establishes that Rocky is still strong but he is standing up for Marie and it starts to give her a sense of worth, after being abandoned by her son's father.  Rocky defuses the moment with humor when he gets back in the car and says "He sends his apologies".

After this moment the scenes start to show a little more color overall, especially the ones in Rocky's restaurant Adrian.  We can assume that Rocky recovered some of his money from the lawsuit he filed against his accountant and while he is probably not wealthy, he certainly is financially stable.  He drives an old van but probably because it suits his needs for getting food for his restaurant.  Rocky owns the restaurant, which usually has plenty of patrons, but since running one is a full time job he probably has someone else handling a lot of those duties so he can entertain the customers with his fight stories.

Rocky recognizes Steps needs a father figure and starts to mentor him a little, inviting him to the restaurant and taking him to the pound to adopt a dog where he gives Steps a speech clearly comparing the old dog to himself.  The deleted scenes show there was more material with the two of them here but clearly Rocky wants to steer the kid in the right direction.  

I love the moment where the hostess talks about Paulie under her breath in Spanish when he comes in.  

In the scene in the meat locker when Rocky breaks down after Paulie makes light of Adrian's death,  we see the release of all the pain Rocky is carrying around.  It's really moving to hear him talk about how he planned to grow old with Adrian and how the pain of her loss and not having a purpose has created a beast inside him.  Burt Young is terrific having Paulie's back up, not knowing how to take it.  He's probably never seen Rocky like this.  Stallone makes a good decision to spend half the scene with Rocky trying to regain his composure and can't quite look at Paulie as he walks off.

When the computerized fight between Dixon and Rocky takes place a lot of it focuses on Robert's discomfort.  He wants to be accepted for who he is and living and working in the same city as his father who is a local legend and gets stopped for autographs and pictures all the time makes this a challenge which causes him to gradually blame his father leading to their big scene on the street.

I discussed the scene earlier but what makes it effective is Robert lays out his arguments which, although he does not quite spell it out, he does not want to be embarrassed by his dad getting beaten in a high profile fight.  Rocky has the sense to takes him on a little story of his life before telling him, using his typical Rocky dialogue, that the key to success in life is to take the challenges life throws in ones way, deal with them and keep moving forward.  Rocky is telling his son here that he has taken a big loss and doing this fight because boxing gives him a sense of purpose and Robert will need to do the same in order to find his way.   

Stallone has been ridiculed a lot in his career, despite his massive success, and has won 4 Golden Raspberries and been nominated 15 times.  In this speech he shows the resilience he needed to make this film and to continue to push forward with his career which he could easily have walked away from.

Marie is in three good scenes with Rocky from the middle of the film on.  First, I like the scene in which Rocky draws her into working in the restaurant, trying to make her feel important using his askew dialogue (dancing better than your average bear) to make her laugh.  She also helps him overcome his reluctance to fight Dixon by reminding him that he is a fighter and it is ok to be true to his nature.  Scenes like this may be why Adrian was killed off.  If this had been Adrian she would have opposed Rocky fighting at this stage of his life which is natural since as his wife she would have worried about his health.  Marie is more concerned with Rocky's soul and as his friend wants him to be happy.  Women often are more perceptive than men about character and this is a good example.

The scene in which Marie comes to Rocky's room looks like a setup for a romantic scene but again writer/director Stallone sidesteps this because I am not sure he wants to play Rocky being romantic with another woman and/or he does not think the audience would accept it.  Marie gives him Adrian's picture as a recognition of his true love and though she kisses him, he does not appear to kiss back.  

The scene with the boxing commission appears to be a metaphor for Stallone pushing back against people who have no interest in dealing with the elderly, though this is undercut slightly by the unsympathetic head of the commission being a white haired man.  The scene is a little idealistic and feels out of place.  It also never addresses, along with the rest of the film, why Rocky is suddenly ok to fight again.  Stallone said in an interview that Rocky actually had a concussion in Rocky V and not brain damage but this should have been explained in the body of the film.

Real life boxer Antonio Tarver plays the new heavyweight champion Mason Dixon and he is also lost, having accepted money, easy opponents and payouts and probably has the kind of career Tommy would have had in Rocky V, controlled by his managers.  He has a lot of people around him but seems more comfortable by himself.  Dixon has to go back to his old manager to get his guidance which leads him to find himself in the bout with Rocky.  I like that as in the original film, the opponent is just that, with human foibles, and not supposed to be someone the audience hates.  Audiences can appreciate a good sporting drama with empathy on both sides and can enjoy a good contest that is just about competition.  

The Gonna Fly Now sequence shows both fighters training and Rocky getting as strong as possible knowing it is his best chance.  The final moments, of Rocky once again climbing the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum fight with the old dog in the snow is fitting (and apparently was the last portion filmed).  Philadelphia itself looks cold in the story which helps the environment.

The fight delivers, with the blows sounding more realistic and Rocky immediately getting back into his element even if he is overmatched considerably in the beginning.  Like in Rocky II and IV he first hurts Dixon at the end of the second round and the fight is a lot more even.  I do not buy that Dixon could have broken his hand and been able to continue (he still uses it plenty to lands punches) so I assume he just hurt it and that gave Rocky an opening to apply some of his body blows.  It's good to hear "Conquest" again and the montage shows Rocky holding his own much more than in other montages where he takes the brunt of the punishment.  Stallone has Robert and Tony react themselves to a lot of the harder hits Rocky takes throughout the fight. 

The scene before the final round has a sweet moment where Robert, who has already lost one parent, asks his father to go easy because he does not want him to be hurt.  Rocky assures him he can he'll be fine and Robert understands.  

The beginning of the final round has a nice exchange between the fighters again showing there is no personal animosity.  Particularly here Rocky is loving every second of this and thw two fighters go after each other hard.  When Marie starts chanting "Rocky" in her Philadelphia accent it sounds nice.  Rocky lands the final blow but it's not quite enough to knock down Dixon and as in the first film he loses in a decision.

The moments after the fight ends which were filmed before a real fight in Las Vegas in 2005, are well thought out.  Rocky and his team and family all leave the ring after sharing a nice moment with Dixon, before hearing the result.  As he says to Paulie, "The beast is out" and he has no need to stay.  Returning composer Bill Conti uses one of my favorite pieces, the full version of The Final Bell, as the results are read out.  This time we are able to hear them clearly which we could not in the original Rocky.  Rocky and his team leaving the stadium gives the scene some movement too but it allows for the final moment where Robert and Paulie get Rocky to take one last moment to wave goodbye to his fans.  Rocky looks happy and moved, which leads the final crescendo with the image of Rocky's in his robe with his name on it.  

Stallone wisely adds on another moment of Rocky, dressed a little better, bringing flowers to Adrian's grave, but only staying briefly.  He has probably made a lot of money on this fight, though it is never discussed onscreen, but more importantly he is ready to face whatever comes next.  The final shot is of him waving goodbye to her and us.

I have talked a lot about this here.  In the end the series stands on Rocky's shoulders and this film is the one I feel explores him the best.  It is also a quick watch at only 1:41 and is a must see for any fans of the series.  Stallone reconnects with what made the character work so well and while there are a couple of minor flaws I have it as one of my favorite films.  *****

Creed (2015)

I had serious doubts about this film in advance as I felt Stallone said a perfect goodbye to Rocky in Rocky Balboa but it turned out to be a worth gamble.  Director Ryan Coogler expands on the Rocky franchise by entering it through the eyes of a young fighter, Adonis (Donny) Creed who is the illegitimate son of the late boxer Apollo Creed.  Donnie gets Rocky Balboa to train him as he works his way up the ranks.  The film follows several beats from the original Rocky (the first fight is in a hole, the film is set almost entirely in Philadelphia, Donnie starts a relationship with a woman, Rocky is reluctant to train Donnie, the final fight is close but Donnie loses it in a decision) but the presentation is so unique and confident everything feels new.

Michael B. Jordan carries the film as a young man who carries his father's talent and love of boxing, as well as tempestuous nature, but needs to figure out life. His Creed is a complicated man whose first years were confusing, having been the product of an affair, rescued from the wrong path by the decency of  Mary Anne Creed, who would have every reason to resent him, but instead recognizes the opportunity to help him, and keep a connection to her husband alive.  There is no mention of Apollo's other kids but they are presumably grown up by the time Mary Anne starts to take care of Donnie.  

Mary Anne, like Rocky Jr, has been recast a couple of times.  Lavelle Roby played her very briefly in Rocky.  Sylvia Meals' Mary Anne in Rocky II and IV had little to do except react to Apollo.  Apollo never even seems to consult her about his decision to fight Drago in Rocky IV (Adrian is the one who has the worried reaction).  Meals apparently passed away which may explain why Phylicia Rashad was cast.  Either way Rashad brings some of her natural strength to the role, making Mary Anne both loving, as she always has been, and with a no-nonsense attitude that was a big part of Rashad's Clair Huxtable.  Mary Anne perhaps took Donnie on because she needed to be a mom again and she may have been lonely since we never see her with anyone but Donnie, who refers to her as Mom.

Stallone's performance as Rocky hits new marks with this material.  Rocky training a young boxer was of course done before in Rocky V but in that film Rocky trains right alongside Tommy and in the end he proves he is still the better fighter.  At this stage Rocky is a senior citizen and while he still looks fit, he is solely there to support Donnie and Stallone cannot rely on his physique to tell his story.  The story takes an interesting turn when Rocky is diagnosed with cancer.  The moment when Rocky vomits in the ring and then apologizes that it is causing the training to be interrupted is heartbreaking.  He is so goodhearted that he does not want to be a burden on anyone. Although if Rocky fights it, his chances are good Rocky is scared of what he saw Adrian go through in her treatment, and also he has decided in principal that with nearly everyone he loves either dead or having left like his son did, that once death comes for him he will be ready.  

Notably there is no mention of Marie.  Is she or her son in Rocky's life at all?  We only see Rocky in his restaurant after hours so it is not clear if she is still working there.  Marie may have gotten married and if so might not have wanted to be around Rocky so much.   

Donnie's reaction to Rocky's prognosis is the touching factors.  These types of films often test the protagonist by killing the mentor and Donnie suddenly feels lost with the idea of losing the father figure he has come to care about and gets into a fight at a club as a result.  Rocky and Donnie then agree to support each other and fight their respective battles.

Donnie's love interest Bianca, and is played by Tessa Thompson.  Bianca could easily headline her story, being a singer trying to make it but also suffering progressive hearing loss.  Bianca is confident in herself and makes it clear that if Donnie wants to be with her, he has to be open and not hide from his name.  The two have easy chemistry and my favorite scene between them is the one in which Donnie braids Bianca's hair.  

Coogler has several good touches in the fight scenes, such as filming Donnie's first big fight in what appears to be a single take.  The close of the training sequence, making powerful use of composer  Ludwig Göransson's score has a shot of Donnie running with motorcycles around him and Rocky literally overseeing the whole enterprise. 

The final fight with Ricky Conlon, a hot headed boxer from Liverpool, who is the light heavyweight champion, for the most part delivers the goods.  Creed seems a little more like Rocky in suddenly being able to take massive amounts of punishment, but gives Conlon a close battle, first hurting his opponent late in the second round as Rocky did in his fights in II, IV, and Rocky Balboa.   I did not quite buy Rocky offering the call the fight as it did not seem that Creed's life was in danger, and I felt Conlon immediately trying to intimidate Creed by with taunts about his father immature, but otherwise Conlon was a good fighter who had made a mistake and was trying to leave something for his family.  I liked the addition of Graham McTavish as Conlon's trainer.  McTavish has a tough barbaric look about him that served him well in Outlander as well as in Rambo, in which he costarred with Stallone.

Creed successfully builds on the Rocky legacy and Ryan Coogler finds a way to make an old story, and character new again.  I was thrilled with the final result and excited to see where the series went next.  It is not my favorite of the series but is probably the best made film of them all.**** 

Creed II (2018)

Adonis Creed confronts a painful piece of his family's legacy in facing a challenge from Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago, who killed Creed's father Apollo in the ring robbing Creed of the chance to ever meet his father.

This film along with Creed and to a lesser degree, Rocky V, all retroactively improve on Rocky IV by showing the cost of both fights.  Apollo lost his life due to foolish pride.  Rocky sees it as a bad memory apart and it indirectly cost him to lose his fortune and his health was impacted.  Drago was lost his name and his wife but she left him with their son (who was not mentioned before).

There are echoes of Hamlet, which has at its core an unresolved relationship between a deceased father and an emotionally ravaged son.  Sylvester Stallone and director Stephen Caper  Jr., expand on this by exploring, albeit in less detail, the troubled relationships between Ivan and Viktor and Rocky and his son Robert.  

Creed director Ryan Coogler was working on Black Panther while Creed II was in development so while he did do some executive producing it was clear the film would need a different director.  Stallone originally agreed to direct the film but stepped aside when he felt it should be helmed by a younger African American director.  Caple Jr. previously directed a film I have not seen, The Land, about inner city skateboarders, and brings a strong visual sense to this film.

While Creed II is a sports film that is eighth in a long running franchise the creators throw a number of twists into the story that give it an unexpected touches.   

• I expected this film to end with a fight in which Creed fights Drago to gain the title but Donnie wins the heavyweight title early on but the twist is he can hardly enjoy it before the Dragos come to rain on his parade.
• Donnie initially resists the urge to fight Drago (going into the gym to work off his aggravation) but eventually gives in when prompted by another of the series' manipulative promoters, Buddy Marcelle who is a lot more subtle than the loud George Washington Duke in Rocky V.  
• The Russians probably aimed too high in trying to topple Rocky, the veteran heavyweight fighter, and the house of cards collapsed afterwards with Drago now as obscure as Rocky was in the first film trying to use his son to earn his way back.  Drago is now possibly making the same mistake and should just let his son build his career at a slower pace.
• The first fight is reminiscent of Rocky III with the first fight featuring an unprepared fighter taking on a bigger and stronger opponent for the wrong reasons.  Donnie takes a horrific beating in the first fight but he wins by disqualification.  
• The aftermath of the first fight allows Donnie to recover both physically and emotionally from the ordeal.  Donnie "won" but on a technicality and now feels unworthy of his newly won title.  When he returns to the gym he cannot get out of the car, overwhelmed by the image of his father.  When Apollo lost to Drago by dying he was spared the humiliation.  
• In the final fight the opponent usually only goes down once but Viktor goes down several times but keeps getting up setting up Drago throwing in the towel, putting his son's health above his status.
• Donnie and Bianca's domestic life is weaved in throughout which shows that life does not stop.

There are some other touches I like.

• Rocky has a fabulous entrance into the film as an offscreen voice (first we think it is a man with his back to Donnie but Rocky can actually be seen in a mirror) prepping Donnie for his first fight.
• Rocky's scene with Drago in the restaurant has some genuine tension and is the only scene in which the two interact.  Rocky sits a table away, a little nervous to see Drago in his space, but eventually stands up to him warning him away, not that it has much effect.
• Building on this I have a little doubt that Rocky, still strong, but now in his 70s and a cancer survivor, would last long in a fight with Drago who is about a decade younger.  A brief fight was planned between the two at the hospital after Rocky sees Donnie (and there is some rehearsal footage of them trading blows) but I am glad it was dropped.  Rocky's role is to work with Donnie, not get into fights himself.  
• The training sequence in the desert is a new look for a Rocky film.  
• Although Bianca's music career does not get much play in this film she gets a big moment when she uses a song to walk Donnie to the ring.  Donnie has a chance against Viktor because they are in this fight together.
• The development with Bianca and Donnie's daughter being born deaf provides a good moment where anxious parents get the results in the hospital, along with some interesting story potential in future films. 
• Bianca seems to lose her hearing in the opening fight but the moment just sets up her not hearing his proposal to her in the hotel room.  Later in the film she is probably wearing her aid but never is unable to hear.  I wonder if this will develop further in Creed III and how it might impact her music career.

It was nice seeing Dolph Lundgren, who is now a much better actor than he was in Rocky IV, bring some more dimension to the older Drago.  His shame over his loss and his desire to improve his station in life for him and his son has some poignancy.  I never got the sense that he wanted to win Ludmilla, his wife, back, but her presence represented that the Dragos were accomplishing something.  Ludmilla coldly walks away once it looks like Viktor is losing the final fight.  Brigette Nielsen is almost unrecognizable here and given the fallout of her marriage with Stallone it's curious that she is even in the film (though she shares no scenes with him).

The climactic fight is in Russia but unnecessarily since the Dragos need it more than Creed and are in no position to make demands.  Still it forces Donnie to face this opponent on his own hostile turf.  The tactics mirror a lot of the ones in the final Rocky III fight (Donnie first avoids a lot of Viktor's powerful punches and then is able to take more of his punishment while dishing out plenty of his own). The music curiously switches from Ludwig Göransson's Creed music themes to Bill Conti's Rocky themes once Donnie takes control in the tenth round.  Stallone had announced this would be his last turn as Rocky (though we have heard that before) so Rocky stays out of the ring after Donnie wins just saying but the scene ends with a shot of Rocky's back.  

Duke's son, Little Duke Evers, is also treated poorly.  He coaches Danny Wheeler to a loss in the first fight and also coaches Donnie is his first fight with Viktor.  He is involved in the second fight with Viktor but clearly playing a backseat to Rocky. I would have expected the series to make him look a little better since the original Duke is highly regarded and shown to be an excellent trainer.

The final sequence rightly resolves the three father/son stories, all intercut.  Donnie visits Apollo's grave and rightly tells him that he faced Drago for himself and not for him and introduces his daughter to him.  Drago, who has spent a lot of the film promoting his son's career without showing him much love, painfully runs alongside Viktor back in Ukraine.  The most moving moment for me is Rocky's reunion with Robert and his son Logan.  The relationship, while seemingly repaired in Rocky Balboa, was probably not nurtured after Robert left Philadelphia.  By moving to Vancouver Robert was too far to be able to do quick visits and as a result Rocky felt uncomfortable reaching out to Robert.  Rocky's sweet reaction to meeting his grandson, who has Adrian's hair and eyes, always brings a tear to my eye and in just one look Milo Ventimiglia (who played the role in Rocky Balboa) immediately conveys his regret that he has not kept up with his father.  When invited in Rocky quietly acknowledges how much he has needed this with his sad nod.  The hug between them is cathartic and now that Rocky has Donnie ready for the world he is going to focus on his real family.  It is stunning how vulnerable he allows himself to be as Rocky, which he does not in a lot of his other roles.

If this scene was Rocky's last onscreen moment it was a beauty.  Creed is a compelling enough character to drive these stories on his own and since Michael B. Jordan is directing Creed III I am eager to see what he does.  ****