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When we learned that Creed II would be about Ivan Drago’s son challenging Adonis Creed’s son to rematch I rolled my eyes so hard I got bruises like Rock after a match. That kind of plot sounded straight out of the later Rocky films when things just got stupid… real stupid. Then the first trailer landed and I got a little excited despite myself. Now the second trailer is here and I’m all in for some over-the-top boxing featuring sweating men throwing nothing but haymakers.
While Ryan Coogler may not be returning to direct this one, he’s still heavily involved, and I’m hoping his ability to bring emotional and social messages to blockbuster films carries through here. It’s that muscle, not Michael B. Jordan’s, that truly carried the first film, and made it great. Hell, it’s that muscle that got Stallone an Oscar nomination. That’s some serious damn directing muscle. Hopefully, Steven Caple Jr. can bring that same quality to it even though the concept is pretty damn goofy.
Also, I don’t think we’ve had a Rocky sports training montage in the desert yet. Good to vary those things up, ya know.
Creed II releases November 21.
