Creed Vs. The Force Awakens: How Culture Delivers a Knock Out

Oscar nominations were released this morning to the usual fanfare and celebratory proclamations we are accustomed to during Hollywood award season. A sentimental favorite in the Best Supporting category is 80s action star Sylvester Stallone who takes up the mantle as Rocky Balboa in this years box office and critical smash Creed. Mr. Stallone does a great job and deserves his nomination despite the film’s star Michael B. Jordan and director Ryan Cogler not being similarly honored. Hollywood has a well-documented problem with diversity. Hollywood also has a problem with originality, as more frequently than ever it relies on sequels, superhero franchises and remakes to keep the cash register ringing. Creed was unique because it was the rare relaunch that actually feels fresh and relevant. I juxtapose this with Star Wars: The Force Awakens which though serviceably entertaining doesn’t break much fresh ground. Before the Star Wars faithful break out their blasters and light sabers bare with me. More than a few have noticed the similarities between The Force Awakens and the film that started it all A New Hope. I won’t dive into the critique as its already been well discussed here, here and here. Where a Force Awakens does break new ground is in diversifying their principal characters and that is noteworthy and important. Creed however is the more relevant of the two films because of its use of culture to literally breathe new life into the fading Rocky franchise.

Creed soars where The Force Awakens sputters because it manages to update the scrappy underdog trope of the original Rocky films with a veneer that makes it accessible to a new audience. The Rocky films, particularly the first four are iconic pieces of cinema. The two more recent installments prior to Creed are much less so. Suffice to say there weren’t many people out there screaming for another visit to Philadelphia. Defying those odds, the story created by Mr. Cogler and starring Michael B. Jordan, as the title character and film lead has been a bona fide smash hit.

How did they accomplish this? Most importantly they used cultural queues to relate to new audiences that might only be tangentially into the Rocky lore while also stimulating those of us who were die-hard fans. Culture bridges this gap with music, fashion, film aesthetic and casting.

The Rocky theme and training sequence montages are ubiquitous. Creed updates this music and the classic Rocky running sequence by adding young men in the Philly neighborhood on motorcycles, ATV’s accompanying young Creed as he trains. This is a nod to the strong motorcycle culture that exists in urban areas around the United States. Throw in a soundtrack with hip-hop heavyweights like The Roots, Future, Meek Mill and you have an updated musical backdrop.

Throughout the film, Creed wears trendy but casual athletic gear. This is the uniform of men and women across generational lines. Casual athletic gear is not just for the gym, it represents comfort and style and says more about you than mere labels ever could.

The film aesthetic is designed for a generation raised on YouTube videos, first person shooter video games, GoPros and UFC. The boxing sequences, among some of the best ever filmed, takes you inside the action. You are not watching this ringside. Rather you are inside the ring. The decision to film the movie in a style reminiscent of our cultural connection to video and gaming underscores the action and makes it all the more thrilling.

Beyond casting Mr. Jordan the film centers itself on a budding romance between young Creed and Bianca, his love interest played by actress Tessa Thompson. This mirrors the relationship between Rocky Balboa and Adrian. Instead of the awkward conversations in the pet store and the skating rink date depicted in the original Rocky, Young Creed and Bianca bond over music, open mic nights, and the local soul food spot. The characters are as a part of their neighborhood, culture and era as Rocky and Adrian were a part of theirs. Also worth mentioning is a depiction of black romantic love that is rarely shown in mainstream Hollywood movies. Finally, Wood Harris is cast as Tony “Little Duke” Evers, the son of Apollo Creed’s original trainer. It is a small roll but it reunites the Wire alums and shows continuity in the Creed legacy. Plus another cool note for us Wire fans is Avon Barksdale was an amateur boxer before becoming a Baltimore drug kingpin. Good to see “Avon” back around a boxing ring.

To close, Creed is a textbook case in how culture can inform the look, feel, and sound of a film to revive old story arcs and even characters. Less a relaunch of the Rocky franchise it feels like a brand extension poised to take these characters further into the 21^st century. What it might lack in the marketing and box office prowess of The Force Awakens it more than makes up for in cultural resonance and relevance.