Creed (2015)

Adonis Johnson, the son of Apollo Creed, is adopted by his father's widow. He never knew his father. Apollo died before Adonis was born. Adonis isn't raised to be a boxer but that's what he aspires to be. He fights in bars in Tijuana, Mexico at night and works a desk job during the day. He doesn't feel like the local trainer will give him a fair shake so he leaves Los Angeles.

Adonis quits his job and moves to Philadelphia. He finds Rocky Balboa who lives by himself. He has a restaurant but does not participate in boxing in any capacity. Adonis wants Rocky to train him. Rocky says no, turns him away, even after Adonis levels with him about his parentage. Eventually Adonis convinces Rocky to help him out. He doesn't have any specific goal in mind other than to become a champion.

Adonis befriends and then starts dating Bianca, his downstairs neighbor who is a singer. Their relationship starts off slow and builds from there. He doesn't tell her who his father is, she finds out a ways into the movie when it gets leaked to the press. He tries apologizes to her and she accepts him at his word. He was trying to make a name for himself without using his father's name.

He gets one fight under his belt before his secret is revealed to the public. "Pretty" Ricky Conlan, the champion, comes calling once it is known that Apollo Creed has a son who is also a boxer. Conlan needs to improve his image and figures that a fight with Apollo Creed's son is the way to go. Rocky is against it at first but Adonis wants to do it. He talks Rocky into it and they start training.

Rocky gets sick and has to go to the emergency room. The doctors run some tests and discover he has cancer. Rocky doesn't want to go through treatment. His wife died of cancer. The treatment did nothing for her.

Adonis goes to see Bianca perform and gets into a fight with one of the other performers. He spends a night in jail. Rocky comes to see him but he's still angry at Rocky for not getting treatment for cancer. He tries apologizing to Bianca but she freezes him out. Eventually he makes up with both Rocky and Bianca, gets into shape, and fights Conlan.

I thought all three of the lead actors: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, and Tessa Thompson were quite good. I liked most things about it. I have a problem with boxing. It is a bloody and violent sport that to my eyes seems to be about nothing other than beating someone up. I much preferred the parts of the movie that had a little to nothing to do with boxing. My favorite parts were the ones that revolved around Adonis relationship with Rocky and Bianca.

On the whole I liked this movie very much.