Creed II

Going in: I thought this would be a 6 or 7. A sequel to Rocky IV wasn't high on my priority list.

Popcorn: 9/10. I'd see this movie anytime. It may be a keeper. Probably 8 for sure. Really close to a 9.

Art: 8.5/10. This was a well crafted movie with its strengths being acting, music, filming, and story. All around very well done. We also had a crowd that was pretty reactive (you know, the kind that has the courage to laugh at a scene you thought might be funny but wasn't sure).

Acting: 3/3. Michael B. Jordan. Tessa Thompson. Sylvester Stallone. And the best version of them. 'Nuff said.

Music: 2/2. I really liked this score. They sprinkled enough of the class theme through the movie and then built to a really nice ending. My son hates fan service with theme songs and he absolutely loved it.

Filming: 2/2. Usually I look for beautiful shots and while there were some, it was the meaningful shots that stood out to me. Kramer Morgenthau's strength is depth of field and he uses it well here. There was one scene that might have been overdone, but I liked it anyways.

Art Dept: 1/2. Didn't really see anything that jumped out at me. Costuming made an interesting choice in colors towards the end and I really liked that but chalked it more to filming.

Editing: 1/2. Didn't notice anything which means the job was done well but I didn't see any signature transitions or cuts.

Story: 3/4. There's a whole theme about why are you fighting, why do you do what you do. I like this theme and there are a couple of lines of dialogue that really speak to me. Everything added up and I have no complaints. When a movie starts racking up points, I start to think I've done something wrong. So, to play it safe, I cut down the story by one point because I didn't see anything that was a major "oh my God" reaction. But it was a well put together story.

Directing: 3/3. I'm saying this was really put together movie. Well done, sir. Well done.

Production: 2/2. Definitely worth watching. It was the sequel I didn't know I needed. The real feat here is that this should be a small screen but it had that feeling of being a big screen movie.

Orthodox Thoughts (mild spoilers)

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This movie talks a lot about "why are you fighting", why do you do the thing you do. The movie doesn't pin down Creed's concretely. At first, he doesn't know. Then it's because boxing is what he loves to do. But at the end, and this is subtle (at least for me), it's his family.

While that's touching, I'm not sure it's realistic. What you love to do changes and using other human beings as motivation is as reliable as they are.

I've been dealing with this a lot. Given the choice between two recent options, I had a hard time deciding. Both met my minimum requirements. Both had a lot going for them. It even came down to why was I making the decision in the first place?

I was listening to a series by Father Thomas Hopko on our calling as human beings. We all have universal callings: a call to live in peace, a call to love humankind, a call to love God, etc. But we also have callings that are unique to us as a person. It's part of our humanity to know what that is and do it to the best of our ability but not in ambition or conceit. Some of us are really called to be CEOs and rich. But most of us aren't. As long as we aren't violating those universal callings, there's no shame in being an employee and there's no sin in being a CEO - as long as that's what we're called to do.

The other point that I related to was when Rocky and Creed are in the trophy room and they're talking about Creed losing the first fight with Drago. At one point, Creed admits "I was afraid I can't." I'm a person who lives in fear. Everything is a struggle in anxiety.

I've been told it's a fear of failure. While there's some truth in that, it never resonated. But this moment made it really clear. I'm not afraid of the failure. I'm afraid of not being able to do it. I'm not afraid of trying and failing. I'm afraid I don't even have a choice, that I'm destined for failure no matter how hard I try.

But perhaps that's the comfort. If you're destined for failure, if you're literally called to fail, it says more about you by how you fail. If you fail with more grace and dignity than others that succeed, who has really won? So, in this case, how we do what we do is just as important as what we do.