Kevin Watt versus Creed

I’ve been putting off watching Creed for quite some time. I was not really a fan of the original Rocky movie and I have not seen any of the many sequels but I read Jason’s stellar review and 10 minutes later I had Creed on the screen so I could experience this masterpiece for myself. But it appears Jason and I must have watched a different movie or maybe he’s had one too many left hooks to the noggin.

To me Creed is a Nestle’s Tollhouse Cookie. It is good but it is very old fashioned; it follows a recipe and requires a cookie cutter to make the finished product. There is nothing of the 120 minutes that is not predictable every step of the way. The dialogue is platitudes and motivational poster taglines mixed in with some schmaltz. Originality was KO’d from the opening scene.

I will give credit where credit is due – Stallone does hit a home run with his role. He is sincere and works the Rocky character with the same 1-2 punch he did in 1976. I guess living with a character for 40 years helps. He did earn the Golden Globe he received but is not entitled to an Oscar; if he wins the Academy Award it will be melancholy playing a hand. Regardless, it is his best role in years.

To the rest of the cast, everyone serves their purpose but nothing jumps off the screen. Michael B. Jordan doesn’t have the sincerity of Stallone and every bit of him is a cliché from “the streets”. We’ve seen his character a thousand times. No one else in the cast really stands out and no one is going to remember their names.

The movie is worth watching because it is good. And formulaic movies are always comfortable and easy like listening to a song when you already know the lyrics. Creed, however, does not deserve the fanfare it is getting and I would guess, like the new Star Wars, a big part of its success is based on nostalgia.