Adonis Creed is heavyweight champion of the world. To defend his title, he accepts a challenge from someone with a very close connection to Creed: Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago, the man who killed Creed's father Apollo in the ring. Ivan is coaching his son and is determined to win the belt that Rocky took from him. Viktor Drago is unstoppable and Creed's odds against him are slim.

To my surprise, I enjoyed the first Creed movie. I was never a fan of the Rocky movies and I figured Creed was just going to be Rocky rebooted.

Turns out it was better than that. Rather than style over substance it had character depth and good plot development. The characters were engaging and the story was interesting.

Creed II continues in the same vein with an interesting plot and decently drawn characters. Maybe not as engaging as the first movie, but the intrigue of the David vs Goliath battle between Creed and Drago makes up for that.

Like the first Creed, this movie ties in with a Rocky storyline, so once again we have a refreshing of the Rocky story and a handing over to the new Rocky, Creed.

For me, "Rocky IV" was the low point for the movie franchise, being it was cobbled together with a bunch of scenes from the prior three movies, loaded up with a resounding soundtrack, and having what I consider some of the most cliched dialog you'll ever find in any film. Oddly, "Creed II" follows some of the same pattern as 'IV', but works in a much more effective way by delivering new takes on the boxing angles and providing a human dimension to Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) and his relationship with wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson). Perhaps the most obvious similarity to "Rocky IV" was the desert training scenes that mimic Rocky's (Sylvester Stallone) intense preparation for the Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) match in the Russian countryside. That to be contrasted with Viktor Drago's more polished training regimen under the tutelage of his father, maybe not as technologically monitored as in the earlier film, but enough to demonstrate a contrast between the two fighters.

For whatever reason, it seemed to me like the actual fight scenes and the buildup to them were rushed in this picture. I had to watch the movie in two separate installments because of time constraints, so that might have affected my thinking. Given all the emotional significance attached to the importance of a Russian victory, both personal for Viktor and for the country's prestige, I thought it was out of character for Ivan Drago to end the match by the throwing in the towel for his son. However it did appear that Viktor's resolve to continue the fight crumbled when he noticed the empty arena seat vacated by his mother (Brigitte Nielsen), who left early rather than endure the despair of her son's defeat. That would also have played into his father's decision to end the bout.

Now that the Rocky franchise has spanned more than four decades since the original movie back in 1976, one would think it would be high time to call it quits, but I wouldn't bet on it. Adonis Creed is still the World Heavyweight Champ with additional challenges to face, and there's still that issue of baby daughter Amara's hearing left unresolved. That could have been successfully handled here, but if it can contribute to yet another sequel, then I guess, why not?

Sylvester Stallone did not write Creed but returns as co-writer for Creed II.

Although this is a semi sequel to Rocky IV, the plot is really inspired by Rocky III.

Adonis Creed (Michael B Jordan) has become heavyweight champion of the world. Bianca (Tessa Thompson) is pregnant. They move to LA so Bianca can kick start her singing career.

However there is a cloud on the horizon. A canny boxing promoter has signed up knockout machine Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu,) son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) the man who killed Apollo Creed in an exhibition match.

Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) warns Adonos not to go for the fight. Just as Mickey knew that Rocky was no match for Clubber Lang, Rocky knows that despite his rawness Viktor is lethal.

Adonos refuses to listen to Rocky and takes up the challenge to avenge his father's death. However the Dragos are fighting to restore their pride after Ivan's loss to Rocky which left him being treated like a dog.

The film has some nice small touches such as Viktor's mother making a self serving appearance. Ivan although maybe not showing remorse, is haunted by the events of Rocky IV. He lost everything and this is a chance for redemption. Dolph Lundgren always a better actor when he is given the right material displays a presence even though most of his dialogue is in Russian.

Stallone too shows the right beat as Rocky is kept as support to Adonis, although he is never out of the picture for long.

Director Steven Caple Jr balances the boxing scenes with an emotional story such as Adonis's baby at risk of being born deaf.