Creed II is a Rocky sequel. A good Rocky sequel, even. But the one thing it doesn't really feel like is a sequel to Creed. MGM decided they weren't gonna wait for Ryan Coogler to write or direct a follow-up to his 2015 miracle. So Stallone took back the reins for Creed II, building a story around what appears to be the very first idea he had: What if it was just another misshapen, lunkheaded Rocky movie that ignores why these characters work? Thankfully, Creed II rises above Stallone's desire for standardization due to the strengths of its characters. All the good-to-great things that Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, and yes, even Dolph Lundgren (!) are doing feel like they’re happening in spite of the story Stallone’s foisted upon director Stephen Caple Jr., and it's easy to believe Caple spent most of his time trying to rehabilitate Stallone's fundamentally busted concept. by Bobby Roberts