Creed: Was This a Rocky Movie?

I bit on Creed since I'm a huge Rocky fan and it was getting great reviews. Michael B. Jordan is going to be a star, if he isn't one already. He plays Apollo Creed's bastard son Adonis who, after a few stints in group homes and juvenile centers is adopted by THE Phylicia Rashad (Mrs. Cosby!), which it was great to see her acting again. You catch up with him as he's quitting his, assumingly, high paying job at a financial firm to focus on his passion of boxing, though his mom is violently against it. He leaves L.A. since nobody, including Duke's (Apollo's former trainer) son, played by Ed Woods (The Wire is all over!). He goes to Philadelphia knowing he wants Rocky Balboa and only Rocky to train him. If we forgot Rocky is just existing in a strange state of apathy/depression running Adrian's restaurant and doing very little. He is fast-tracked to the game by fighting a very good fighter in his first match. Jordan is very believable as a fighter and took the role very seriously, that is apparent. They toss in a love story because they had to. Across "the Pond" the light heavyweight Champion "Pretty" Ricky Conlan was recently released from prison and looking at the twilight of his career. In the weigh-in for his title defense he sucker punches the other guy, breaks his jaw, and ruins it. After finding out Adonis is Creed's son, a fact he tries to hide, he is given the title shot vs. Conlan. Conlan looks like a dude they rolled off the couch, which bothered me a ton. He isn't very believable as a fighter because I've never seen a boxer who isn't in good shape fighting for a title at light heavyweight. In any case you get your mix of training montages/scenes, the budding love story, the touching moments of personal growth, etc. from your standard Rocky film, but it didn't feel quite the same. Bottom Line; 8.1 out of 10. It's good, not great, though Jodran is excellent and Stallone really plays the aging Balboa very well. It's worth seeing in theatres, but it can wait.