Moving right along, it’s time for something a little inspirational. Being a life long Rocky fan, I was incredibly anxious after the announcement of the original Creed, due to series “ending” on such an unexpectedly high note with Rocky Balboa. I thought that one was such a perfect sendoff. I couldn’t have been more excited when Creed turned out to be one of my favorites in the franchise! Naturally there was going to be a sequel, but when I heard about the plot for Creed II, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the whole thing cane off as a bit contrived and even premature. Now that I’ve seen the film... I kind of feel the same way. While there were certainly some compelling moments (Rocky and Drago’s first face to face comes to mind), decent fight choreography, as well as a nice and little conclusion (?) to Rocky’s story, an official passing of the baton at long last. What surprised me is that the whole Drago family angle was actually one of the most effective aspects of the film. My issues surrounded overall pacing, a lack of narrative drive, Adonis’s character arc/emotional (or lack of) development, and a pervasive lack of... punch, no pun intended. The film just kind of exists, which doesn’t make it bad, just a bit lackluster for one of my all time favorites franchises. I hope the inevitable Creed III allows the series to grow into its own, and relies less on the roots of over 40 years ago. What about all of you? What did you think of Creed and it’s sequel? Let me know! @bluray_dan I’m particularly interested in your thoughts, as a fellow Rocky fanatic 🤘