Creed II

           With a screenplay co-written by Sylvester Stallone, and based on the characters from the previous film, you pretty much know what to expect from this sequel. The film once again stars Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo Creed, Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, the young Creed's mentor and trainer, and Tessa Thompson as Bianca, Creed's love interest from the first film. Co-starring are Wood Harris, Russell Hornsby, and Phylicia Rashard as Adonis's mother. There are also a few surprise cast members, which I won't spoil by revealing here.

           Mr. Stallone keeps the Rocky story connection by re-introducing Ivan Drago, the Russian boxer who killed Apollo in "Rocky 4" and Drago's son, Viktor, who naturally is set up to fight Adonis to reclaim his family's honor. Ivan is again played by Dolph Lundgren and Viktor is played by Florian Munteanu. The father/son theme is pretty obvious influencing all the male characters and runs throughout the film. 

            The fight sequences are well done but between bouts, the story leans towards melodrama. It's only a matter of time, however, for that familar theme music to rise up during the inevitable training sequence, leading up to the final brawl. Mr. Jordan is in incredible shape and will certainly please his growing number of fans. Mr. Stallone has basically rewritten his Rocky role as the new "Mickey" (Burgess Meredith from the original films) but he takes on the supporting role with charm and grace.

            Don't expect the thrill of the original "Rocky" or the fight sequences of "Raging Bull" but if you have come to love these characters (and who doesn't after eight films?),  you will feel right at home as the next generation continues the iconic series.