I will always be grateful to Creed for making my favorite Rocky movie so much better in hindsight

Creed is an outstanding boxing movie, but I hold it in even higher regard due to how it improved one of my favorites Rocky movies: Rocky IV. when Creed was announced, I was as skeptical as many others were. Given the mix of good and bad Rocky Movies over the years, yet another franchise reboot did not have excessive audiences. This can partly be attributed to the Hollywood landscape on Creeds release, when legacy movie sequels are commonplace, from Star Wars: The Force Awakens And Jurassic World to Mad Max: Fury Road.

However, I’ve never been more happy to be proven wrong about this seemingly unnecessary movie sequel. Creed Instantly 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 the Rocky Movies that came before it. While it remains to be seen if the upcoming Rocky And Creed Movies match the level of the last trilogy, Michael B. Jordan’s reboot managed to take the franchise into a new era while taking one of my favorite. Rocky films, Rocky IVand retroactively improve it.

Rocky 4 has always been one of my favorites (but it has a lot of flaws)

Rocky IV is an interesting case study

generally, Rocky IV is a movie that probably shouldn’t work. It contains jarring tonal shifts, simultaneously one of the most emotionally impressive Rocky Movies and one of the silliest entries. The film’s cartoonish elements are prevalent, though admittedly less so in Stallone’s Rocky IV Director’s cut. But in the theatrical cut, 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 commentary Stemming from Rocky and Drago’s Clash. Each of these elements contributes to Rocky IVIts flaws, but somehow, the film works.

Rocky IV Has some memorable scenes, a combination of the silly and the grounded that strangely come together to make one of the most purely enjoyable Rocky films. The emotional stakes are higher due to Apollo’s death, the pure adrenaline rush of training and boxing scenes has never been better, and there are some genuine moments of fantastic writing with characters like Adrian, Paulie and Apollo. While the goofier elements do not leave Rocky IV To quite reach the heights of Rocky Or Rocky WIt stands tall as one of my favorite films in the series.

Creed & Creed II made Rocky 4 much better in hindsight

The Creed trilogy wouldn’t exist without Rocky 4

Which makes me so grateful for those Creed Franchise therefore, is that it somehow takes both the lesser and greater elements of Rocky IV And improves on all of them. Apollo’s death has always been one of the hardest-hitting moments in the Rocky Series, and Creed Just made that more emotional. with Creed The film puts a more traumatic spin on Apollo’s death with how it affects the likes of Mary Anne, Rocky, and, of course, Adonis. Rocky IV That much more integral, primarily driven by Ryan Coogler’s approach of maturity, grounded realism, and, above all, legacy.

The idea of ​​the Creed legacy is, without a doubt, what makes the first Creed So impressive. The idea of ​​legacy and what one leaves behind only tends to highlight their death, viz Creed Explores through Apollo’s passage in Rocky IV. Adonis taking on his father’s legacy in the final moments of his fight with Ricky Conlan would be nowhere near as thrilling If Apollo had lived in the past Rocky IV. Not only does this exploration of legacy in Creed Massively profit Rocky IVBut so does it Creed IIIvan Drago’s return.

I will admit that, despite my love for CreedThe concept of Creed II Worried me. Bringing back the Dragos could easily have gone wrong, yet Creed II nailed it The image of Victor being pushed into his father’s fight in order to regain the love of his absent mother immediately humanized him, while Ivan Drago’s sense of failure after his defeat to Rocky was exceptionally handled. The stupid, over-the-top, pure evil evil of Rocky IV have been transformed into real people with feelingsFlaws, desires, and connections. soon, Rocky IVIts flawed elements are given a dose of sincere thanks to Creed II.

Creed II Treats Ivan Drago Better Than Rocky 4 (Including the Director’s Cut)

Ivan Drago became a real character in Creed II

As I said, Ivan Drago’s treatment in Creed II is much better than in Rocky IVBoth the theatrical and the director’s cut. While the director’s cut of Rocky IV Give Drago a little more to do, his image is mostly the same. Throughout both iterations, Drago is a cold, calculated boxer who wants to win at all costs and worries about the death of Apollo Creed. Against Rocky, he is then the emotional robot the hero of the film has to get and as close to a stereotypical evil character as the Rocky Franchise gets.

Creed II This changes massively. Drago becomes a father in Creed IIAnd while he is harsh in how he pushes his son, he does it to regain a sense of honor and love of not only his country but his wife. The steps Creed II It takes to make Drago more human which I didn’t expect the film to do, but I’m so glad it did. Thanks to Creed IILike his predecessor, Rocky IV Just gets better for a number of reasons.