I feared signing on to Creed might derail Coogler’s and Jordan’s careers. Instead, this revitalizing crowd-pleaser solidifies my belief...
Slant Magazine November 24, 2015 By contending with the unglamorous nature of professionally beating other people into unconsciousness, the film makes more time for its characters...
Austin Chronicle November 25, 2015 Creed isn’t a complete TKO, but it goes all 12 rounds with vitality and flourish.
USA Today November 23, 2015 Equally powerful and feel-good, Creed is an entertaining reminder that this franchise isn’t down for the count yet.
Creed moves the Rocky franchise into the present and gives it a future; Coogler makes the story his own, even as he pays respect to what has g...
filmcomment.com November 25, 2015 At his best, his new film is both visually striking and expressive: those lightning opening vignettes, for example, convey the volatile, claustroph...
L.A. Weekly November 24, 2015 Stallone can’t let go of the spotlight, even though he barely has a handle on his own character. His Balboa has been Xeroxed too many ti...
Newsday November 24, 2015 The seventh "Rocky" film is uneven but gets by on Jordan’s charisma and some stunning fight sequences.
Rolling Stone November 25, 2015 Hot damn! Fruitvale Station director Coogler, 29, turbocharges the Rocky franchise. Jordan is stellar. And so irresistible is Stallone’s blen...
It’s a formula film, executed to near perfection. And it wields a secret weapon: our nostalgia for the original.
Empire Magazine January 7, 2016 Following the failure of the underrated Rocky Balboa, the Rocky series was on the canvas, the count nearing ten. Creed not only gets it – and...
MovieFreak.com August 18, 2016 Adonis and Rocky make one of the year’s best cinematic pairings, their transition from strangers to acquaintances to partners to friends to s...
New York Times November 24, 2015 "Creed" is a dandy piece of entertainment, soothingly old-fashioned and bracingly up-to-date.
The Atlantic November 28, 2015 It’s an invigorating piece of nostalgia that fuels a bigger adrenaline rush with its climax than any big-budget blockbuster could provide.
Variety November 18, 2015 Not only lives up to the best of its predecessors, but also respectfully forges its own path.
Sight & Sound January 15, 2016 Surprisingly thoughtful and stylish.
Movie Mom November 24, 2015 True to the Rocky tradition but bringing it forward.
Times (UK) January 15, 2016 A shot of box-fresh blood.
Vulture November 25, 2015 It’s a hell of a movie, a funny mix of corn and street: street corn.
The Guardian January 17, 2016 What follows may be familiar fare, but Coogler somehow manages to revivify the series, aided by a punchy turn from Jordan and deceptively comp...
San Diego Reader November 25, 2015 Not even Rocky can deliver a line like, "It’s you against you; he’s just in the ring" without sounding ridiculous
Denver Post November 25, 2015 Creed stirs emotions with a strong yet artful hand.
Sylvester Stallone gives the most compelling and truthful performance of his career.
ScreenCrush November 18, 2015 An old franchise flies high again.
Toronto Sun November 24, 2015 Creed is not just a knockout boxing movie, it coaxes Rocky Balboa off the mat and revives an iconic American hero.
Globe and Mail November 24, 2015 Cooger adds a few visual flourishes – a fire eater appears in a darkened arena; Philly youth pull wheelies on their motor bikes – that gi...
TheWrap November 18, 2015 That one-two punch of expectations – energizing a franchise and burnishing the acclaim heaped upon Fruitvale Station – seems to have...
Los Angeles Times November 24, 2015 Within the inevitable boundaries of a venerable franchise, Coogler and company do fine work convincing us against our better judgment that not...
TIME Magazine November 25, 2015 Coogler keeps everything moving so gracefully that by the end of Creed, we almost don’t know what hit us.
Creed is corny like the old Rocky films, but riveting like the old Rocky films, too.
With apologies to Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago, Ryan Coogler’s rousingly emotional new film is the best installment since the 1976 o...
The Guardian November 18, 2015 The film keeps pounding through the predictable set-up and storyline until finally, when you think it can fight no longer and will have to throw in...
"Creed" packs a mighty punch.
Arizona Republic November 24, 2015 If the plot of "Creed" echoes the original "Rocky," at least it’s echoing something worthwhile. But there are differences.
Creed is a sure-fire hit that’s impossible to hate but I may have to punch the next person who tells me it made them cry.
Detroit News November 24, 2015 Reprising the role that made him famous, Stallone turns in an award-worthy performance in the Rocky reboot Creed. He doesn’t overplay things...
Chicago Tribune November 19, 2015 With "Creed," Coogler proves he is one of the most skillful young directors around. Turns out we really did need another "Rocky" movie. It just nee...
Coogler knows what Stallone has always known: It’s not about the fights. It’s about making an audience feel deeply about the people inv...
Seattle Times November 24, 2015 The movie’s tropes are comforting in their familiarity. The tale of a decent hero fighting long odds never gets old.
Flavorwire April 30, 2016 Its own great, singular achievement, outside of the considerable iconography.
ChrisStuckmann.com November 23, 2015 Do not miss this film. It’s the best in the franchise since 1976.
In "Creed," "Rocky" finally has a worthy successor. For many reasons.
Sight & Sound January 15, 2016 Surprisingly thoughtful and stylish.
New York Post November 24, 2015 One of the year’s warmest and most crowd-pleasing surprises.
Irish Times February 23, 2016 with Creed, the series really has returned to its roots… there’s an earthiness and street quality that we haven’t witnessed since the&n...
Boston Globe November 24, 2015 Despite getting laid out in excruciatingly graphic detail, the kid somehow comes roaring back, not so much struggling to his feet as leaping. Which...
Hollywood Reporter November 18, 2015 Coogler makes the transition from the indie world to big-budget studio filmmaking with a result that’s sturdy and smooth. Buffed into ri...
AV Club November 23, 2015 Creed works far better than it should, and does so twice: as the unexpected payoff to a nearly 40-year-old series, and as the confirmation of...
Little White Lies December 1, 2015 Creed packs a serious punch, replete with crunching fight sequences captured in a probing, prowling style.
Daily Telegraph November 19, 2015 This seventh film in the Rocky series sticks to the creed they all do: it knows how well the formula works, what’s needed to reinvigorate it...
The Daily Beast November 25, 2015 Creed delivers predictable uplift but, ultimately, fails to make a unique name for itself.
Independent January 14, 2016 If you can stomach the schmaltz and suspend your disbelief in the face of the film’s pounding predictability, you’ll find plenty to enjoy.
guidelive.com November 24, 2015 Creed is the happiest surprise of the movie season, a mix of old and new that taps our reservoir of nostalgia and forges a path of its own. It...
RogerEbert.com November 23, 2015 This is one of the best films of 2015.
The Guardian January 14, 2016 It’s a relief to watch this likable boxing picture, which finds a way to evolve the Rocky franchise with humour and humility.
Reverse Shot December 7, 2015 The surest sign that Coogler has honored his source material is that Creed is populist through and through. His achievement… is that he gives his a...
New Yorker November 23, 2015 The burly backstory and weight of personal history don’t stall the drama but provide its fuel.
Toronto Star November 24, 2015 All eyes are on Jordan and rightly so, but Stallone also earns his place, reprising the downbeat, lovable lug from Rocky Balboa who struggled to ge...
ReelViews November 22, 2015 2015 has seen its share of sequels; perhaps surprisingly, Creed is among the best.
Whether the credit goes to the director or the actor or both, this is the performance of Stallone’s career, one in which that age-defying ora...
