The Italian Stallion, Rocky Balboa, is a character who’s become part of the American mythos ever since Rocky debuted in 1976. Sylvester Stallone’s creation has boxed on through five more episodes of the Rocky saga as the heavyweight champ fought for glory, revenge, America, or whatever motivation was handy. Yet none of the subsequent chapters carried the same emotional satisfaction as the original Rocky – until now, with Creed, whose very title signals a new start and unwillingness to settle for being simply Rocky VII. This icon has managed a difficult movie task in Creed: He ages gracefully and passes the torch to a new generation.

Stallone is in fine form in Creed – as an actor, though not as a boxer. Shrewdly, he never dons the gloves or spars in the ring with his protégé Adonis (Michael B. Jordan). Stallone more or less acts his age, which, sadly, is a rare thing among American actors. He still manages to imbue the character with full heart and down-to-earth demeanor and speech that endeared him to us in the first place.

However, the infusion of new energy comes from the efforts of co-writer and director, Ryan Coogler, and star Jordan, who reunited for this picture following their attention-grabbing breakthrough film Fruitvale Station in 2013. Jordan plays the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) who died in the ring in Rocky IV before Adonis was born. That was in 1985, and though Creed fudges a bit with Adonis’ age (30 seems a bit old to begin a boxing career), the natural aptitude that is his birthright more than sells the concept.

Eager and determined, Adonis (aka Donny) wants to succeed on his own merits, rather than as the son of a legend. He begins fighting under his adopted mother’s surname, Johnson. Despite the warnings of those who couldn’t understand why he would fight since he didn’t have to, he quits his white-collar job in L.A. to move to Philadelphia, where he plans to convince Rocky Balboa to be his trainer. This takes more than a little badgering, which gives Adonis time to start up a romance with singer Bianca (Tessa Thompson). While she and Jordan did have a natural on screen chemistry, this romance felt like a necessary plot device more than an actual romance.

This brings me to the fact that while Creed is giving a fresh face and energy to this series, it still conforms to the familiar formula of a boxer’s rise, beginnings of self-doubt, recovery of self-conviction, and ultimate triumph. However, the performances are rich, and the cinematography, especially in the fight sequences, is deft and dynamic. Also, little touches from the writing and directing add to the film’s authenticity: Bianca’s hearing aids (which resist becoming a plot point); Adonis’ all too human pre-fight jitters; and Rocky’s trip to the cemetery to read the newspaper in the company of Adrian and Paulie’s headstones. Creed isn’t a complete knockout, but it goes all 12 rounds with passion and style.

I would not call myself a fan of the original series having only seen 3 of the 6 films, but Creed does a great job of taking the well known story and paying homage to it without requiring the viewers to know all of the details. This film would have worked just as well even if the previous films in the series never existed. So, of course, since this film was well received and successful, there are already plans in the works for a Creed 2 coming to theaters in late 2017.

What did you think of Creed? Were you a big fan of the Rocky story? How do you think Creed measured up? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.