Creedis an outstanding boxing movie, yet I hold it in even higher regard due to how it improved one of my favoriteRockymovies:Rocky IV. WhenCreedwas announced, I was as skeptical as many others were. Given the mix ofgood and badRockymoviesover the years, yet another franchise reboot did not overly excite audiences. This can partly be attributed to the Hollywood landscape uponCreed’s release, whenlegacy movie sequelswere commonplace, fromStar Wars: The Force AwakensandJurassic WorldtoMad Max: Fury Road.
However, I have never been more pleased to beproven wrong about this seemingly unnecessary movie sequel.Creedinstantly became one of my favorite movies in the entire franchise, not only for how it stood on its own but also for how it elevated theRockymovies that came before it. While it remains to be seen if theupcomingRockyandCreedmoviesmatch the level of the latter trilogy, Michael B. Jordan’s reboot managed to take the franchise into a new era while taking one of my favoriteRockymovies,Rocky IV, and retroactively improving it.
Rocky IV Is An Interesting Case Study
Overall,Rocky IVis a movie that probably should not work. It contains jarring tonal shifts, being simultaneously one of the most emotionally impactfulRockymovies and one of the silliest entries. The cartoonish elements of the film are prevalent, though admittedly less so inStallone’sRocky IVdirector’s cut. In the theatrical cut, however,there are elements like the robot in Rocky’s home, the over-the-top exaggeration of Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed, and the not-so-subtle political commentarystemming from Rocky and Drago’s clash. Each of these elements contributes toRocky IV’s flaws, but, somehow, the film works.
Why Sylvester Stallone Removed Rocky 4’s Robot From The Director’s Cut
Sylvester Stallone has removed the Happy Birthday Paulie robot from Director’s Cut of Rocky IV and it’s caused waves with his original creator.
Rocky IVhas several memorable scenes, a combination of the silly and the grounded that bizarrely come together to make one of the most purely enjoyableRockyfilms. The emotional stakes are higher due to Apollo’s death, the pure adrenaline rush of the training and boxing scenes has never been better, and there are some genuine moments of fantastic writing involving characters like Adrian, Paulie, and Apollo. While the goofier elements do not allowRocky IVto quite reach the heights ofRockyorRocky II, it stands tall as one of my favorite films in the series.
Creed & Creed II Made Rocky 4 Much Better In Hindsight
The Creed Trilogy Would Not Exist Without Rocky 4
What makes me so thankful for theCreedfranchise then, is that it somehow takes both the lesser and greater elements ofRocky IVand improves upon all of them. Apollo’s death was always one of the hardest-hitting moments in theRockyseries, andCreedonly made that more emotional. WithCreedpinning more of a traumatic spin on Apollo’s death with how it affected the likes of Mary Anne, Rocky, and, of course, Adonis, the film makesRocky IVthat much more integral, primarily driven by Ryan Coogler’s approach of maturity, grounded realism, and, above all else, legacy.
Not only does this exploration of legacy inCreedmassively benefitRocky IV, but so too doesCreed II’s Ivan Drago return…
The idea of the Creed legacy is, without a doubt, what makes the firstCreedso impactful. The idea of legacy and what one leaves behind only tends to heighten upon their death, asCreedexplores via Apollo’s passing inRocky IV.Adonis taking on his father’s legacy in the final moments of his fight with Ricky Conlan would be nowhere near as thrillingifApollo had lived pastRocky IV. Not only does this exploration of legacy inCreedmassively benefitRocky IV, but so too doesCreed II’s Ivan Drago return.
The Upcoming Rocky Movie I’m Most Excited About Isn’t Creed 4
The Rocky franchise has provided some of Hollywood’s best boxing films, and while Creed 4 will be exciting, one other movie is even more enticing.
I will admit that, despite my love forCreed, the concept ofCreed IIworried me. Bringing back the Dragos could easily have gone wrong, yetCreed IInailed it. The depiction of Viktor being pushed into his father’s fight in order to regain the love from his absent mother immediately humanized him, while Ivan Drago’s feeling of failure after his defeat to Rocky was exceptionally handled.The silly, over-the-top, purely evil villains fromRocky IVwere turned into actual people with feelings, flaws, desires, and connections. Immediately,Rocky IV’s flawed elements are given a dose of sincerity thanks toCreed II.
Creed II Treated Ivan Drago Better Than Rocky 4 (Including The Director’s Cut)
Ivan Drago Became A Real Character In Creed II
As I have alluded to,Ivan Drago’s treatment inCreedIIis much better than inRocky IV, both the theatrical and the director’s cut. While the director’s cut ofRocky IVgives Drago slightly more to do, his depiction is mostly the same. Across both iterations, Drago is a cold, calculated boxer who wants to win at all costs and cares little about the death of Apollo Creed. Against Rocky, he is then the emotionless robot the hero of the film has to overcome and as close to a stereotypically evil character as theRockyfranchise gets.
The Ivan Drago spin-off that is planned in the Creed franchise will only further improve upon his redemption arc in Creed II.
Creed IIchanges this massively. Drago becomes a father inCreed II, and while he is harsh in how he pushes his son, he is doing it to regain a sense of honor and love from not only his country but his wife. The stepsCreed IItakes to make Drago more human are ones that I did not expect the film to make, but I am overly glad it did. Thanks toCreed II, as well as its predecessor,Rocky IVonly gets better for a number of reasons.
Rocky IV
Cast
Rocky IV sees the return of Sylvester Stallone’s iconic heavyweight champion after his victory over Clubber Lang. When an exhibition match between Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed and Dolph Lundgren’s USSR boxing star Ivan Drago goes wrong, Rocky Balboa puts all his efforts into defeating the Soviet athlete to honor his friend’s legacy and exalt America’s patriotic spirit.
