WhenCreedwas announced, I was as skeptical as many others were.
Given the mix ofgood and badRockymoviesover the years, yet another franchise reboot did not overly excite audiences.
The cartoonish elements of the film are prevalent, though admittedly less so inStallone’sRocky IVdirector’s cut.
Each of these elements contributes toRocky IV’s flaws, but, somehow, the film works.
Apollo’s death was always one of the hardest-hitting moments in theRockyseries, andCreedonly made that more emotional.
The idea of the Creed legacy is, without a doubt, what makes the firstCreedso impactful.
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
I will admit that, despite my love forCreed, the concept ofCreed IIworried me.
Bringing back the Dragos could easily have gone wrong, yetCreed IInailed it.
Immediately,Rocky IV’s flawed elements are given a dose of sincerity thanks toCreed II.
Rocky IV sees the return of Sylvester Stallone’s iconic heavyweight champion after his victory over Clubber Lang. When an exhibition match between Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed and Dolph Lundgren’s USSR boxing star Ivan Drago goes wrong, Rocky Balboa puts all his efforts into defeating the Soviet athlete in order to honor his friend’s legacy and exalt America’s patriotic spirit.
While the director’s cut ofRocky IVgives Drago slightly more to do, his depiction is mostly the same.
Creed IIchanges this massively.
Thanks toCreed II, as well as its predecessor,Rocky IVonly gets better for a number of reasons.
