Creed

Adonis Johnson (Jordan) never knew his famous father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born.  Still, there’s no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed’s legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa.  Once in the City of Brotherly Love, Adonis tracks Rocky (Stallone) down and asks him to be his trainer.  Despite his insistence that he is out of the fight game for good, Rocky sees in Adonis the strength and determination he had known in Apollo—the fierce rival who became his closest friend.  Agreeing to take him on, Rocky trains the young fighter, even as the former champ is battling an opponent more deadly than any he faced in the ring.  With Rocky in his corner, it isn’t long before Adonis gets his own shot at the title…but can he develop not only the drive but also the heart of a true fighter, in time to get into the ring?

This was a pretty good watch.  It was formula in every way and clearly pulled on heart strings left and right, but still worked.  You are definitely invested in the movie.  You are hooked by the characters, including this newer version of Rocky himself.  It's actually a very fluid entry to the Rocky story/franchise and didn't feel forced or silly like I was afraid it would.  You can't help but get caught up in the ending.

I would recommend people checking this out.  I think that some of the reviews I had heard before seeing this were a little over the top and could lead to people being disappointed.  If you go in without those raised expectations you will enjoy the movie.