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Gonna Fly Now: "Creed" Receives High Marks As Latest Installment In "Rocky" Series

Warner Bros.' "Creed" debuts in theaters nationwide Wednesday, and director Ryan Coogler's "rousingly emotional new film is the best installment" of the "Rocky" series since the original debuted in '76, according to Chris Nashawaty of ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY. Nashawaty gives the movie an A- grade and wrote it is as "formulaic and sentimental as you’d expect any 'Rocky' movie to be." However, actors Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan, who plays Apollo Creed's son, Adonis Johnson, "give the film an undeniable, lump-in-the-throat poignancy." It is a "movie about legacy, and it more than preserves the 'Rocky' franchise’s" (EW.com, 11/18). In Minneapolis, Colin Covert gives the film 3 1/2 out of a possible 4 stars, and writes this "excellent sequel introduces new characters to the series while paying homage to the enduring appeal of its predecessors." This is "no paint-by-numbers imitation," as it "unabashedly manipulates audiences without guile, jerks tears, piles on hardships and smooths out conflicts on its way to a wholesome, uplifting finale." It is "cornball as all get out, formulaic and wonderfully, amazingly delicious" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 11/25). In N.Y., Lou Lumenick writes under the header, "This Is The Best 'Rocky' Film Since The Original." Lumenick: "I found myself misting up at the final scene in 'Creed' that, in less sure hands, would have been unbearably schmaltzy" (N.Y. POST, 11/25). In Chicago, Michael Phillips wrote, "Damned if 'Creed' isn't easily the best 'Rocky' movie since 'Rocky'" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 11/19). In St. Louis, Calvin Wilson writes it is a "thrilling addition to the 'Rocky' saga," as Coogler "delivers a boxing movie for the millennial generation" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 11/25). In L.A., Kenneth Turan writes the new movie "rescues the Rocky series from the bombast of the later films and reclaims the overlay of emotion that was its birthright way back when" (L.A. TIMES, 11/25).

FIGHTING CHANCE: USA TODAY's Brian Truitt gave the film 3 1/2 out of a possible 4 stars and wrote the "Rocky" franchise is in "better shape than it has been in years." One "knock against 'Creed' is that it relies on the 'Rocky' model a little too much." The movie "does avoid the over-the-top aspects ... but much of the template is here, from running the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the Big Fight at the end." But "therein lie its strengths, too." Coogler "mines Rocky and Apollo's relationship from the older films to give 'Creed' its needed gravitas" (USA TODAY, 11/24). In K.C., Jon Niccum writes the film "doesn't muster the pure underdog audacity of the first 'Rocky,' but it does pair some exceptional actors with engaging characters." The film "disappoints only in its third act, when the boxing overtakes the character drama" (K.C. STAR, 11/25). In Tampa, Steve Persall wrote "Creed" gives the "formula some needed fizz, paying tribute" to "Rocky" with a "fresh Philly vibe." "Creed" proceeds to "hit the same beats as six 'Rocky' movies preceding it, all the way to the Big Fight." But the main difference is this marks the "first 'Rocky' movie Stallone didn't write, enabling Coogler and co-writer Aaron Covington to bring new perspective and respect" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 11/23). In Portland, Jeff Baker writes, "This is how to reboot a franchise." Coogler directs with "confidence and a fine sense of pace." He honors "some of the stations of the Rocky pilgrimmage -- chasing a chicken, climbing those steps -- without lingering on them and stages the fight scenes in an exciting way that doesn't spoil what's expected" (Portland OREGONIAN, 11/25). In Albany, Mick LaSalle writes the film "revitalizes the 'Rocky' franchise, but doesn't transform it." Coogler "doesn't mess with what audiences already like, but gives the series a transfusion of energy that lifts it in the 21st century" (Albany TIMES UNION, 11/25). 

RETURNING TO CHARACTER: VARIETY's Andrew Barker wrote the "biggest surprise" in the film may be Stallone. He "channels all his obvious love for the character into his performance, digging deeper as an actor than he has in years" (VARIETY.com, 11/18). In Seattle, Soren Andersen wrote bringing some of the "most subtle acting of his career to his portrayal," Stallone "invests Rocky with dignity and an affecting melancholy" (SEATTLE TIMES, 11/24). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Todd McCarthy wrote Stallone "may be more appealing playing the aging Rocky Balboa than he's been since the beginning of his 40-year career." Stallone is "at his near-best as he charmingly walks the line between weary resignation at the encroachment of old age and the inextinguishable desire to get back in the game again" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 11/18). In N.Y., A.O. Scott writes Stallone, while "happy to steal a scene every now and then, cedes the limelight" to Jordan. It is a "pleasure to watch" Stallone "amble through a movie with nothing much to prove." He is "at his best when he works comfortably within his limitations as an actor." Jordan’s "limitations, in contrast, have yet to be discovered." With every role, he "seems to delight in the unfolding of his talent, and to pass his excitement along to the audience" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/25).

ATTENTION TO DETAIL: On Long Island, Neil Best notes British boxer Anthony Bellew "plays the foe for the obligatory climactic bout, a character named 'Pretty' Ricky Conlan." Using real fighters "helped the boxing scenes ring true but challenged" Jordan. One element Coogler was a "stickler for was making the four fights in the film look and feel different from one another" (NEWSDAY, 11/25). The AP's Greg Beacham noted Jordan's first fight in the film comes in Philadelphia, a scene Coogler shot "in a single take, including the entire pre-fight walk, two rounds of action and every exchange in between." The "unbroken showcase puts the audience in the middle of a boxing match in a way the first six 'Rocky' movies never imagined" (AP, 11/24). The AP's Jocelyn Noveck wrote the last fight scene in the film "should have you on the edge of your seat" (AP, 11/23). 

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