Creed II Parent Guide

A sequel to 2015’s Creed, this film continues to follow the life and career of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), son of the famous champion Apollo Creed (originally played by Carl Weathers). With none other than Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) in his corner, coaching him through his fights, Creed takes the Heavyweight Champion title. However, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) returns with his son Victor (Florian Munteanu) and challenges Creed to a fight. Now Creed must balance his new family, his personal pride, and his Championship title against his desire for revenge against the son of the man who killed his father in a fight more than 30 years ago…

The primary content issue parents will have with this film is the language. That said, the language in this film is primarily limited to one word (everyone’s favourite scatological term) repeated maybe a dozen times. Otherwise, characters largely speak politely to one another, and try to have meaningful conversations instead of shouting matches. Creed seems determined to limit all violence to the ring, and outside of that context, people are largely courteous. Although some of these individuals have difficult relationships, be it with their families or friends, they attempt to solve these issues in reasoned conversation (with the exception of the Dragos, who are a cautionary tale about dysfunctional parenting). This being said, the story is too intense for children and the PG-13 rating is appropriate.

With an exceptional cast turning in amazing performances, the highlight of the film is Sylvester Stallone: he plays the aging Rocky Balboa with class and charm and gives the picture a lot of heart. He is conflicted and scared, but through it all brings a sense of thoughtfulness and care to everything he does. Stallone may have a reputation as the muscle-bound “more brains than brawn” type you might expect from Rambo, but he is not incapable of a more sensitive approach. To invert a quote from Ivan Drago, “He is not a piece of iron, he is human.”

By following up Rocky IV (1985), Creed II has put itself in a difficult position: how do you make a direct sequel to one of the most popular boxing movies of all time? The answer seems to be by moving the focus away from the Cold War tensions and by focusing more on individual growth and the importance of family. Adonis Creed spends a great deal of time in the movie trying to figure out his place in his growing family and reconciling his achievements with his memories of his father. This change of perspective allows the film to feel less like a simple rematch between two iconic characters and more like a fight between a man’s pride and his love for his family.