I’ve seen a few of the Rocky movies, but unlike many others I’m not an enormous fan of the franchise. The original Rocky stands as easily the best of them for me.

So with this latest instillation Sylvester Stallone has finally decided that he is actually too old to be the main star anymore, and instead takes a back seat to Adonis Creed, played by Michael B. Jordan. Having never known his father Adonis enters the boxing world under his mothers name and eventually convinced Rocky to train him.

Both the performance by Michael B. Jordan as Adonis, and Stallone’s as Rocky are excellent. In fact this may even be Stallone’s best acting performance to date, and is one that should see him land the Best Supporting Actor at this year’s Oscars. The father/son relationship that those two form is really the core of the film and the two great performances make it stand out. Tessa Thompson as Bianca Adonis’s love interest in the film also does a very good job in her role.

The great thing about Creed is that it is accessible to newcomers to the franchise, who know virtually nothing about the characters or the history. At the same time there are a lot of nostalgic notes there’s for huge fans of the franchise. This is certainly in part thanks to director Ryan Coogler who has done a wonderful job, and can rightfully feel aggrieved not to have been nominated for Best Director.

The direction also extends into the fight scenes. These are probably some of the best boxing/fight scenes in film, especially the final fight, which is so brutal and intense.

Overall this is a wonderful way to reinvigorate the Rocky franchise that could have been dead with Stallone’s age. The film also manages to stand alone, whilst still leaving plenty of room for a sequel. Creed is a great film, and one of my favourite sport movies ever.

8/10