DJariya

There's really no where to go with the characters now.

Adonis got his ass kicked, went to the hospital, made a comeback and now proved himself and set his own legacy.

Rocky reconciled with his son and met his grandson.

If they do a 3rd chapter, they really have to come up with something creative otherwise they will end up rehashing plots.

Sports movies, especially boxing are really hard to keep fresh.


Edit: For those curious, Sylvia Meals, who played Mary Anne Creed in Rocky II and IV passed away in 2011 at age 67

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0575152/

Shannon Nutt

This is Stallone's last appearance as Rocky. When he said "It's your time now," that was a wink to the audience that Michael B. can carry these movies on his own now.

I actually liked this one BETTER than Creed. I didn't think going in that I would.

I'm also down for a Drago standalone flick. I'd be in line for that on opening day.

DJariya

I thought the boxing sequences were better in this one.

devilshalo

I wonder if it was intentional to dress Bianca in a style much like that of Adrian in the first fight with Drago.. with the beret and the vest/jacket?

Why So Blu?

Someone had mentioned that it was laughable for Bianca to sing/introduce Adonis. I guess it wasn't laughable when James Brown introduced Apollo Creed in Rocky 4.

It's a grounded throwback to that very intro. I thought it was an easy homage to spot.

Artman

I was surprised he got any kind of an intro at all, considering it was in Russia. It was a little silly but a nice show of support...probably just using one of her songs would've been enough.

Really enjoyed this one! Solid directing, good scenes with Ivan and Victor....no surprises, but it's a formula that still works. Wouldn't mind seeing Caple come back for a third.

jeffkjoe

This was a good movie:

Were you guys more excited to see this as a SEQUEL to CREED?

or

Were you guys more excited to see this as a SEQUEL to ROCKY IV?

Why So Blu?

Both. The marketing confirmed what it would be. Two birds with one stone and they succeeded.

OldBoy

Exactly. This was nostalgic Rocky, but fresh Creed...

Artman

Songs of the time period have always played a part in the Rocky movies... while I'm personally not a hip hop fan... I haven't found the songs in the Creed films to be that unenjoyable...or out of line w past Rocky films. Could I have done with a few less?..sure...but they also play a role in the marketing...these are mid-range budgeted films, that need the extra $$ from the promotion.

I've also found Ludwig's scores to be fantastic... a brilliant new theme - which functions like Rocky's did...simple piano notes during small scenes and also as a rousing orchestra piece...mixed with Rocky's theme in the later moments. I don't know what else you could ask for - glad he was back for the sequel.

JZ1276

Saw this on Thanksgiving. Huge Rocky fan & have seen every Rocky/Creed film in the theater.
1- Too much rap music. A little is OK. This one had way too much.
2- Bianca singing during Creeds entrance. Didn't like it.
3- Really enjoyed B Nielsen's cameo. However, there were around 5 cuts to her during the fight looking concerned. It was too much.
4- Also enjoyed all the callbacks to the previous films.
5- A cameo by Mr. T would've been awesome. Guy is still around, surprised he wasn't approached to be part of this... or any of the Expendables films.
6- Bianca's "You got this" line said about 5x too many. Once would've been sufficient.

JeremyM

Apparently Caple had considered bringing back Clubber, but couldn't think of an idea. And if anyone thought there were too many callbacks to old films, things could have been worse, as they also toyed with having Apollo appear...as a ghost.

Sylvester Stallone wanted Apollo Creed to appear as a ghost in 'Creed 2' — here's why it didn't happen


Link

dex14

If you read the beginning of the thread, at one point they were going to take a Godfather II, prequel/sequel approach.

Shannon Nutt

Here's my one and only minor quibble with the film - which I'll keep in spoilers, even though this is a spoiler thread:

JeremyM

Was it a 10-round fight though? Typically fights go 12 rounds. (15 in the early Rocky films, but boxing went away from that in the early 80s.)

I bought the score CD to this (it's a print-on-demand deal by Amazon and as a huge Rocky fan I needed it to keep my collection going) and I have to say I really enjoy it. There is also another release (no CD yet) which features most of the rap songs from the movie, but the score only has a few of the more choice raps that were intertwined with the score rather than separate songs.

Why So Blu?

Not only that, but he finalized his decision when Brigitte Nielsen left them again - for the second time. At that point, he was like, fuck it.

OldBoy

i was actually hoping for a sweeping punch by Adonis that almost knocked both over, ala last fight in Rocky III, which was similar to II, yes, but just thought that would have been another cool nod.

my only quibble, is why the fight had to be in Russia. that was just too IV for my taste, but minor. this makes me want to see it again soon. my sister is seeing for second time and she doesn't see movies in theater ever. she just loves the whole series, especially the Creeds......

devilshalo

I thought he had 2 more rounds to go since it was for the championship. And it was obvious to Ivan that Viktor wasn't going to go down because of what it meant to his father. He would have continued to take punishment and would never quit.

Obi-Wanma

Did anybody else notice that during the first fight, one of the announcers referred to Victor as Ivan?

Mondo Kane

Since this was structured like a Rocky III clone, I got more involved in the middle act (Similarly to Fumanstan) and thought the film strongly rebounded from there.

As others have said, I wasn't a big fan of all the music heard. But I LOVED how they brought back "Waiting For My Moment" from the last movie and how it's become the "Gonna Fly Now" theme for Adonis.

And though it was pleasing to finally see a Rocky movie where the climactic fight doesn't end by a 10-count or decision, I wish the outcome was handled more realistically. Have Viktor recklessley running into a big punch or completely exhausting himself (It was said that he had never been past 4 rounds before)

Oh, and who here remembered that Creed won the title from the guy who KO'd him while sparring in the previous movie? It's too bad there wasn't more emphasis on that connecting theme, but it's understandable.

JeremyM

They mentioned it as it was brought up that Wheeler had won the car from in their prior encounter and it was "allegedly" back on the line in the rematch, but yeah, it was kind of sad to see that storyline dealt with so abruptly when it could have carried a film on its own.

What a bad deal for Wheeler, he put up his car AND the belt in the fight with Creed!

A funny thing about the Rocky films is how it takes place in a world where not only Apollo Creed, Rocky, Clubber, and so on exist, but so do Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier, and apparently Evander Holyfield (he was listed in the credits on Wikipedia for this, but I don't recall seeing him and he is no longer listed, so I don't know--they've also removed Roy Jones Jr. from the list, and he was definitely in the film as a commentator).

Also, HBO has discontinued their boxing coverage, so in a way, Creed-Drago was the last fight they ever covered. Going with the HBO blueprint was a great choice by Stallone in Rocky Balboa and has served the series well, and they'll have to use ESPN or Showtime for Creed III.

dex14

He was screaming I want my keys back the whole fight. Anyone who saw Creed should’ve known who that was.

Why So Blu?

They even brought Michael Buffer back to announce the fight.

devilshalo

I figure being part WB production helped in using HBO Boxing. I'd like to know who his 6 other opponents were prior to his championship bout with the Stuntman.

stingermck