Thinking outside the box

The fights are choreographed and filmed extremely well and we are able to watch them for what they are, rather than just suffering through over-edited, glorified montages with overly expository commentary telling us how to feel. This time, you can see what is happening, you know the players, you know the stakes, you’re emotionally invested — we are shown, not told.

Frankly, I got involved in Creed II in a way I just couldn’t engage with the first movie. Even with its undeniably familiar narrative, it remains a damn fine boxing movie and I actually cared about the characters this time. I was on the edge of my seat for every punch.

Much is being said about Jordan’s performances as Adonis Creed, but while he’s certainly fine in the role, and makes a fine boxer as well, it just isn’t a role that shows great breadth as an actor. He has shown his talents in plenty of other productions, but Creed doesn’t give him a lot to do apart from look angry and determined a lot. But hey, that’s the game, and he plays it well.

Real-life boxer Muntearnu is absolutely terrifying as Drago, an opponent who is easy to dread. And still, towards the end, we see some surprising moments of tenderness between him and his father, showing that even these “bad guys” are just people too.

Creed II is formulaic, but sits nicely within its chosen genre, a good movie and a neat addition to the Rocky story as well.

(M) is now showing at Village Cinemas and Cmax. Rating: