The "Rocky" formula is tried and true, easy to replicate but also easy to screw up.
"Creed" gives that formula a nice facelift, not really changing anything at its core but doing it so well that you don't really even notice.
Starring Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson, the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed, this movie is a rolling firecracker, a solid, upper-tier entry in the "Rocky" mythos that does a great job of reigniting the franchise by getting its traditional main character the hell out of the way.
So the story: Adonis is a troubled youth, the product of an affair Apollo had shortly before he died (more on this later). His mother died when he was young, and he bounced around from foster home to group home before Creed's widow (played here by Phylicia Rashad) takes him in and raises him. He grows up in his father's large home, comes to call her "Ma" and becomes successful enough to land a good job and a promotion at a young age.
But boxing beckons him, and his forays south into Mexico for underground bouts soon are not enough. He quits his job, kisses his adoptive mother and moves to Philly, where he finds an aged Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), happily spending his days in his restaurant some time after the events of "Rocky Balboa."
He implores his dad's old rival/friend to train him, and Rocky refuses (because of course he does), but the two form a fast bond and Rocky soon changes his mind. That leads to some small-time success, generating the attention of light heavyweight champion "Pretty" Ricky Conlan.
It's not hard to see the parallels, and you can see where this is going: underdog with a famous name vs. the big-time champ. The climactic fight is certainly exciting, bringing a more realistic fighting style than many of the previous "Rocky" films did but without losing that dramatic tension. The fight scenes are more realistic and brutal, and many of the punches seem to really connect.
Jordan is, in short, spectacular, and his chemistry with Stallone as teacher and pupil is tremendous and endearing, reflecting Rocky's ongoing troubles to connect with young people in the wake of problems with past proteges and his own son, who is briefly referenced here.
This offers Rocky a great character arc that acknowledges his limitations, which leads to one more fight for the Italian Stallion, though not one that occurs in the ring. It's all handled with the appropriate amount of grace and doesn't become silly or trite.
There is romance as well, with Tessa Thompson playing Adonis' version of Adrian. She's a singer/songwriter with a degenerative hearing condition that will leave her deaf eventually, an interesting tidbit that allows her to be a little more than the romantic interest. She's a strong woman that teaches Adonis something without coming off as an Adrian clone.
One small complaint: The movie gets off on bad footing by screwing up the timeline a little bit. Apollo died in 1985's "Rocky IV," 30 years ago. "Creed" starts in 1998, when young Adonis appears to be between 8 and 10 years old, putting his birth around the 1988-1990 range. Oops.
But forget all of that and just enjoy the ride, because "Creed" is worth it.