It’s a fascinating intersection of the past but none better than the fact that in many ways, genifique is an inverted mirror image of Rocky. And before sending this film off on its own pulsating trajectory, Coogler reveals a full hand of spades. One of which is the legacy Rocky bestows on Donnie, and in essence, Stallone handing over the franchise baton to Jordan. We may not realize this at first and that’s because we are already smitten by the father-son relationship developing between Donnie and Rocky. Donnie has always been an orphan and the reason why he never took on his father’s name is an emotional revelation.
Which partly explains the applause that is likely to echo through multiplexes this Thanksgiving. “Creed” is a dandy piece of entertainment, soothingly old-fashioned and bracingly up-to-date. The punches fly, the music soars (hip-hop along with Lancome makeup Ludwig Goransson’s variations on the old Bill Conti brass) and the ground is prepared for “Creed II.” We’ll see how that goes. But for now it is sweet to have this lesson in the importance of fast footwork, brute power and brotherly love.
The star, who worked with Coogler on the superb “Fruitvale Station,” conveys the confusion that many young people have while forging and accepting their identities. The moment he owns up to his heritage is intertwined with the film’s rousing, climactic boxing match but does not depend on it as a means of Donnie’s acceptance. Note where Coogler places Stallone in this sequence, as it is the most visual representation of what his film is doing with these characters. In parallel, Donnie also pitches woo to his downstairs neighbor Bianca , a hearing-impaired singer and composer whose loud music keeps Donnie from getting the required sleep he needs for his training. Like Rocky’s beloved Adrian, Bianca is a fully fleshed out character whose agency is not undermined by her eventual devotion to our hero.
This is especially true in the most rudimentary forms of religious behaviour. Even when differentiated from other factors, beliefs are frequently not stated in creedal form but are diffusely expressed in sacred writings, legal codes, liturgical formulas, and theological and philosophical reflection. This was true in the ancient cultural religions of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome and in traditional Hinduism, Confucianism, and Daoism. When, however, a religion is transmitted from one culture to another (as from Semitic to Hellenistic; i.e., Palestine to Rome) or claims some degree of universal or exclusive truth, formal creeds often develop as aids in maintaining continuity and identity.
We’re moving forward, but the ghosts of the past are still coming with us. He is discovered by the other members of Dunder Mifflin living in Ryan’s old closet in the office after the warehouse party, at which point he plays one last song to his co-workers before being led away by the police. In a deleted scene of “Dwight K. Schrute, Manager”, Creed confirms to the camera that there is a real possibility he will murder Oscar. In the end of the episode, he’s promoted to acting manager of the office after Jo requests that the position be filled by the employee that has worked there the longest. After the last Rocky film was already pretty strong this is another example of sequels not necessarily being pointless nostalgia but in best case adding new layers to a franchise. Sure, we have the usual ingredients of boxer films here as well, that’s a tad predictable.