Creed

Creed is an echo. It's a call back to every other Rocky movie, and while it's good, it can't create separation from the powerful legacy of the Rocky series.

In fact, I can't remember the last time I attended a screening where an audience was so obviously into a film and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Creed winds up being one of the sleeper hits of the year.

Coogler makes the transition from the indie world to big-budget studio filmmaking with a result that's sturdy and smooth. 

So irresistible is Stallone's blend of tough and tender that Oscar should give him points. You heard me. Yo, Academy!

Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone deliver knockout performances in Ryan Coogler's ‘Rocky' spin-off, which lives up to the best of its predecessors while forging its own path.

But Coogler doesn't let himself get meta. He might not believe in the reality of Creed, but he puts every bit of faith and skill he has in the reality of the dream.

Sylvester Stallone's back, but this generational twist on the underdog series never lands any original blows.

Creed is as formulaic and sentimental as you'd expect any Rocky movie to be, but Jordan and Stallone (...) give the film an undeniable, lump-in-the-throat poignancy. 

(...) Ryan Coogler's latest film pays unexpectedly rich emotional dividends.

Porté par une distribution musclée et une mise en scène dynamique - notamment lors d'un combat mémorable, filmé en un long plan-séquence dansant d'un boxeur à l'autre -, l'ensemble s'avère prévisible mais efficace, et offre à Stallone ce qui est sans doute son meilleur rôle en 39 ans. 

Entre une amorce un brin échevelée et une finale franchement dégoulinante de mièvrerie, Creed marque néanmoins le retour réussi de la franchise Rocky.

Tout de même, Coogler sait se servir de sa caméra. Lorsque le récit formaté le permet, le réalisateur mets en scène des morceaux de bravoure assez prenants. Ses scènes de combats impressionnent (une au milieu du film particulièrement) et le montage d'entraînement, un autre passage obligé de la série, est aussi enivrant que ridicule.