This was amazing. I knew I liked Coogler and Jordan from Fruitvale Station, but this was at another level. It totally felt like a Rocky movie, but not in an annoying or derivative sort of way. Every choice that Coogler made, between plot points in the script to how to shoot various shots felt like the best possible choice.
Most obviously, the long take. Man oh man. That was just gravy. The choreography and acting was already great, then they do it all in one magnificent shot. Awesome. Another camera thing I loved was when Rocky put Adonis in front of the mirror and told him how his greatest enemy is himself. When they are talking, both Rocky and Adonis's reflections aren't looking back at themselves, but right into the camera, right at you. And it works, it was so powerful.
I also love how Rocky was kind of broken and ready to die. It does seem like that without boxing, his wife, and his friends that he really had nothing left. That's why it was so beautiful when Adonis made him fight one more time. Except this time, it was cancer. This is another situation that could have felt forced, but it came across perfectly because that's who Rocky is: a fighter. He always gets back up.
Michael B. Jordan was amazing. I can't wait to watch the rest of this franchise with him, he couldn't have done better. At the end, when he proudly takes the name of Creed instead of running from it, it was so powerful. "I have to prove that I wasn't a mistake" or something like that was delivered so perfectly and really hit home. And Stallone deserves awards for this, he was as good as I've ever seen him.
Overall this movie was excellent, better than expected. It was really firing on all cylinders--script, acting, direction, cinematography, everything. Like Star Wars, it didn't feel like a cheap reboot, but a beautiful and natural continuation of the story.
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