“Creed,” a 2015 film, follows Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of the late boxing champion Apollo Creed, as he seeks to build his own legacy with Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), his father’s old rival, as his coach. 

I’m not a big boxing fan, but I love watching action movies like the “Creed” series. I am a huge fan of the “Rocky” movies, especially because of the build-up to the Creed movies.

The plot in the “Creed” series is very understandable and easy to follow, but there are multiple plot twists that you need to make sure you’re following along with. The timeline in the plot is displayed perfectly showing the build-up between Balboa and Johnson’s relationship.

Creed is a very inspirational character to look up to going through challenges on his own. Despite Johnson’s last name (Creed) and how he was forced to grow up as a kid, he wanted to create his own legacy to pursue boxing.

Creed also does a very good job of maintaining his emotions with a lot of pressure on him due to living up to his last name throughout the movies. He does this by embracing his past problems and remembering what it took to get to the legacy he has built all on his own. 

I connected best with this movie because I saw so many similarities in the movie that can relate to real life. For example, having to give something up to start a journey to create something a lot bigger.   

The reveal of Adonis’s last name, in my opinion, is the climax of the movie in that it gives him more fighting opportunities. Although most would think it’s cool to have the last name of a legend, Adonis thinks otherwise. 

Adonis hated the fact that people might think of him as “Apollo’s son.” and he wants to create his fighting legacy, rather than living in his father’s shadow. 

Michael B. Jordan was the perfect fit for the movie. He had a great display in the ring showing toughness and emotion, as well as showing his feelings towards his girlfriend, Bianca Taylor (Tessa Thompson), and his coach outside of the ring. 

Director Ryan Coogler does an amazing job mixing the “Rocky” series with the “Creed” series, showing great connection between the two timelines by including Rocky as Creed’s coach following up his past boxing career.

The camera work during the boxing scenes makes the fights seem so realistic including different angles, blood, and active movement throughout the fights. 

I’m a huge fan of all of the sound tracks that were used during the movie, mixing hip-hop to match Creed’s era with more classic music like “Gonna Fly Now” by Bill Conti to follow Rocky’s era.

Even if you’re not a boxing fan, the movie shows a lot about finding your purpose and not living in anyone else’s shadows. I would recommend “Creed” to anyone who loves stories about perseverance, redemption, and purpose.