“Say what’s up to Pop-Pop.”

From Creed II.

In the few years since Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) took the son of Apollo Creed, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) under his wing and begin training him as a fighter things have only gotten better for the young man.  When Adonis wins the World Heavyweight Championship, he becomes the ultimate underdog success story despite his rough childhood and the tragic death of his father 30 years ago in a fight against Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).  Bianca (Tessa Thompson) continues to work on her music and she and Creed begin to plan a life together, but when Drago’s son Victor (Florian Munteanu) arrives in Philly to challenge Creed to a fight, Adonis’s world is thrown into chaos.  What Creed bring in skills and speed is far outmatched in Drago’s size and power, so Rocky refuses to train him for the fight.  Bianca and Creed move to Los Angeles to be nearer to his adoptive mother (Phylicia Rashãd) and to begin training with his father’s old coach (Russell Hornsby) for a fight 30 years in the making.  While physically ready when he steps into the ring, Creed is weighed down by conflicting desires and so he is beaten badly and saved only by a disqualifying cheap-shot by Drago.  Reeling from his physical, mental, and emotional injuries, Adonis struggles to find a center again especially when Drago calls for a rematch in Russia.  Conflicted by his life-changing choice 30 years ago, Rocky agrees to step in as Creed’s trainer to protect and prepare him for the fight.  As the fight draws, near both Creed and Drago use their unique motivators to prepare them for a fight that will be both a rematch from the past and a declaration of the winner’s true merit.

This newest edition to the Rocky franchise is both captivating and focused. Stallone, Jordan, and Thompson give strong performances that create a moving display of power and heart. The balance between in-the-ring fights and out-of-the-ring motivation is solid; overall, Creed II is an enjoyable ride from start to finish.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 130 minutes |Genre: sport/drama |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 5* of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 2 of 10|Gore: 4 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|