Besides the thrilling fight scenes, Creed II’s strengths are Stallone’s bittersweet turn as the regret-filled Rocky, and the chemistry between Jordan and Tessa Thompson as Bianca, Adonis’s girlfriend, who faces battles of her own.
REVIEW: 'Creed II'
Like Adonis Creed, Jordan is a champion in the making. A still-rising star, he proved his charisma in 2015’s Rocky spin-off, Creed, then played to his biggest arena yet as Black Panther’s tortured villain. In Creed II his talent for portraying tough-but-vulnerable takes centre stage.
Adonis, a protégé of the ageing Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), finally wins the heavyweight title – but a hulking Russian named Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) challenges him. In 1985’s Rocky IV, Drago’s father, Ivan (Dolph Lundgren, who returns), killed Adonis’s father, Apollo, in the ring. The all-too-parallel plot is a bit
of an eye-roller, but Drago Jr is one scary bruiser, and Jordan’s pumped physique is its own sight to behold.