Even though the title of the movie is Creed, this is still as much of a Rocky Balboa movie as it is about Adonis Creed.
Some people are lobbying for Sylvester Stallone to receive a Best Supporting nomination for his performance here and I can understand why, though I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen once the list has been announced in the upcoming days.
And that's not to say Stallone doesn't deserve it, he gave one of the best performances in a long time. And that's all thanks to Ryan Coogler who is fast becoming one of the most exciting directors to watch today.
The way he told this story was simply captivating. The first boxing match was captured in an amazing single shot, with camera movements strategically placed to capture each boxer turn by turn. The choreography between the actors and the camera was out of this world.
With a story Coogler co-wrote, he paid a lot of homage to the first Rocky movie and changed up some plot points; but as a whole, it was a great story.
The supporting cast with Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad, and how Coogler used them in this movie, were also very effective. Coogler was so good that he moved me to tears a couple of times too.
The action sequences all looked very real, and Michael B. Jordan gave another performance that, like Fruitvale Station, could end up just out of reach of a Best Actor nomination. Jordan, also, is becoming one of the most exciting actors to watch today. He has bounced back from the atrocious Fantastic Four in a big way, and I'm really glad that none of the careers have been affected so far.
This movie was everything I wanted in a Rocky sequel / spin-off, and then some. I didn't expect to love it this much and definitely wouldn't mind catching it again.
The only thing that kind of take me out of the movie was the use of CGI to fill up the boxing arena as its background. But this was definitely storytelling with using actors and camera work at its best; and definitely one of the best, if not the best, of 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment