• Creed II

    Rocky is a hero because he got up. And so is Sylvester Stallone. The franchise he’s been shepherding for half a century just keeps going. But sometimes it’s okay to just not take the fight, even when the crowd’s singing for it. 2015’s punchy, nimble Creed successfully re-orientated the Balboa brand around a new generation, Michael B. Jordan putting in a powerhouse performance as the son of Apollo. Hollywood franchises may be folding in on themselves like Inception’s boulevards, but thanks to the energies of regular collaborators Ryan Coogler and Jordan, Creed was the best example of a studio franchise embracing…