TheRockyfilms are iconic for a reason, but there is no denying that theCreedtrilogy outdoes them in several ways. When watching theRockyandCreedmovies in order, the nine films go together nicely as an extended franchise. Even theworst-rankedRockymovieshave subsequently been improved thanks to the explorations of theCreedfilms and their characters, proving the franchise to have a sense of longevity that many did not think possible afterRocky V’s disastrous release.
As the wait forCreed 4’s potential storygoes on, it is natural to look back on each movie in retrospect. Rewatches of the sixRockyfilms and threeCreedfilms bring to light their positives and negatives, from thebest and worst ofRocky’s opponentsto the strengths and weaknesses of Michael B. Jordan’s legacy sequels. While answering which franchise is better as a whole is difficult due to the sheer iconicity ofRocky, rewatching the various movies proves that theCreedmovies do a lot of things better than theirRockypredecessors when removing nostalgia from the latter.
10The Creed Movies Have Better Boxing Fights Than The Rocky Series
The Fight Choreography Got Better As Filmmaking Developed
Immediately, it becomes clear thattheCreedmovies have better boxing fights than theRockyseries. This is true on both an emotional and filmmaking level, with some of the fights inRocky- such as the titular boxer vs. Tommy Gunn - falling incredibly flat. Where filmmaking is concerned, though, it is no surprise that the modernCreedmovies outshine those in theRockyseries.
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The ability to shoot fight scenes has simply gotten easier in all films as technology and techniques have developed. TheRockymovies have some excellent boxing matches, but even the best have moments where the punches can be seen not landing on their opponents. TheCreedseries has the added dynamism and fluidity of modern filmmaking that theRockyfilms did not, proving the former to have better fights than the latter, from Adonis' one-take match with Leo Sporino to his climactic fights with Ricky Conlan, Viktor Drago, and the anime-inspired clash with Damian Anderson.
9The Creed Trilogy Has Better Screenwriting
Another Element That Has Improved With Age
Admittedly, theRockymovies - for the most part - are very well written. The first two movies and the sixth installment,Rocky Balboa, especially stand out as competently written stories. However, even these films have the cheesier, somewhat goofier elements that are a product of their time, and that is without mentioning the camper stories ofRocky III, Rocky IV,andRocky V. Overall, theCreedmovies flow better as, well, movies, proving that the more modern take of Ryan Coogler specifically outshines the sometimes dated elements ofRocky’s scripts.
8The Creed Trilogy Tells A Complete Story Unlike Rocky’s Installment-Like Fashion
Creed Flows Better As A Complete Story
An element of theCreedmovies that stands on its own as something better than theRockymovies but also reinforces the point about screenwriting is how well they blend together as a trilogy. Every installment inCreedbuilds on something from the last, be it Rocky’s battle with cancer or Adonis trying to live up to his father’s legacy. Although this is true for someRockymovies, like the first two, for example, there is no denying that the over-the-top, exaggerated elements of the latter few films made each one feel very different from the last.
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WithCreed, however, each one feels like a thematic successor of what came before. Gone are the more exaggerated elements that makeRocky IVfeel so inherently different fromRockyorRockyII,for example. Instead, theCreedmovies feel like a solid trilogy, with even moments from Adonis' childhood in the first movie coming back to explore his relationship with Damian inCreed III. TheRockymovies had less of this interconnectivity as the series went on, making some installments feel worlds apart from others in terms of tone and story.
7Creed’s Emotional Moments Hit Harder Than They Do In Rocky
Creed Has A Better Grasp On Emotional Storytelling
The emotion ofRockyfilms is hard to quantify. The first two movies are the most serious and have strong, emotionally charged stories that depict Rocky as the underdog.Rocky Balboais similar, but the emotional strength - or lack thereof - ofRocky III, Rocky IV, and thefranchise’s worst movieRocky V, are slightly different. Despite including some moments like Mickey’s death, Apollo Creed’s death, and the estrangement of Rocky and his son, Robert, the exaggerated moments of the stories and the less-well-written scripts make them fall flat often.
This continues inCreed IIandCreed IIIas well, giving each installment a sense of emotional resonance that some of theRockyfilms lacked…
TheCreedmovies do not have this issue. Overall,the emotional moments of theCreedfilms are depicted excellently and almost always work. Whether it is the scene in which Rocky explains his decision not to have chemotherapy to treat his cancer or the moment in the final fight when Rocky tells Adonis that he is a Creed and that he loves him, several emotional moments are exceptionally effective. This continues inCreed IIandCreed IIIas well, giving each installment a sense of emotional resonance that some of theRockyfilms lacked.
6The Creed Movies Have A More Serious & Consistent Tone Than Rocky
Gone Are Rocky’s Exaggerated, Silly Moments
As alluded to several times, the laterRockymovies suffered from having unserious or inconsistent tones. Cartoonish villains like Clubber Lang, Thunderlips, and even the robotic Ivan Drago madeRocky III, Rocky IV,andRocky Vinherently silly in ways that theCreedtrilogy never was. Moreover,rewatching theRockyandCreedmoviesmakes it clear that the former series has much more inconsistency regarding tone.
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The silliest movies in theRockyseries actually include some of the franchise’s most serious moments, yet the inconsistent tone makes them feel strangely out of place.Rocky IIIhas the titular character fall into depression after Mickey’s death, with this subplot coming shortly after the inclusion of Hulk Hogan’s insanely cartoonish Thunderlips. Apollo’s death inRocky IVcomes moments after his exaggerated entrance to the fight as a true patriot. All of this proves how inconsistent theRockymovies are with tone, something theCreedtrilogy has never struggled with.
5Creed Has Better Character Relationships Than The Rocky Movies
Creed Has A Better Grasp Of Characters & Their Friendships
One of the harsh realities of rewatching the Rocky movies is that, beyond Rocky, characters serve little to no purpose. All of the other major characters of the franchise only exist due to their connections to Rocky. Adrian, Paulie, Apollo, Mickey, Robert, and any other big characters in the franchise rarely have interpersonal relationships with each other; instead, they only exist as people Rocky can talk to.
TheCreedmovies are much better at handling character relationships beyond Adonis. Adonis' relationships with Rocky, Bianca, and Mary Anne are a focus, yes, but there are other relationship elements included in each film beyond this. Be it Rocky’s relationship with Ivan Drago, Robert, or the late Apollo to the friendship between Mary Anne and Bianca or the exploration of Ivan and Viktor Drago’s father-son bond, theCreedmovies focus a lot more on characters and their relationships that have no link to Adonis Creed.
4Creed Has Much Better Written Villains Than Rocky Did
Creed’s Opponents Vastly Outweight Rocky’s
The next big strength theCreedmovies have over their predecessors is the better development of villains. The villains ofRockyare rarely depicted with any nuance, save from Apollo Creed.Clubber Lang, Ivan Drago, and Tommy Gunn are all incredibly one-dimensional villainswho are simply obstacles in Rocky’s way. Even one of the better-writtenRockymovies,Rocky Balboa,gives little to no time to developing the titular character’s main opponent, Mason Dixon.
Mason Dixon and Ricky Conlan are both played by real-world boxers, Antonio Tarver and Tony Bellew respectively.
The same cannot be said of any of theCreedmovies. The first film is arguably the weakest in this regard, with Ricky Conlan being the least developed. Even so, the film goes out of its way to explore Ricky’s reason for fighting, which is to avoid jail time to provide for his family.Viktor Drago and Ivan Dragon inCreedIIare so much better than the Drago depiction ofRocky IV, giving them a reason for fighting beyond simply being an evil, robotic Russian. Damian’s development inCreed IIIcontinues this trend, proving how much better the series does villains thanRocky.
3The Creed Movies Have A More Well-Rounded Score & Soundtrack
Creed Has A More Varied Musical Style
Despite one of the more iconic aspects of theRockymovies being its main musical theme, theCreedseries is more well-rounded in this regard. Be it the exceptional musical scores by Ludwig Görranson or the varied soundtracks of local Philadelphia bands like The Roots or other rap artists, the films have a more consistently strong sound to them. This makes theCreedmovies also work better as legacy sequels, given the usage of theRockyscore by Bill Conti.
2Apollo Creed’s Legacy Was Handled Better In Creed Than Rocky
Creed Was Focused On Creed
After Apollo Creed’s death inRocky IV, the series somewhat fumbled the focus on his legacy.Rocky IV’s plot centered around avenging Apollo, yet this can be argued to have been overshadowed by the Cold War propaganda that turned the film into the USA vs. Russia rather than Rocky vs. Apollo Creed’s killer.Rocky Vthen shifted to Rocky becoming a mentor and focused on Mickey’s legacy as his former mentor, whileRocky Balboawent in another direction by focusing on Rocky’s legacy after retiring.
For this reason, Apollo Creed’s legacy is handled a lot better inCreed. By focusing on Adonis, his relationship with Rocky, and living up to the legacy Apollo left behind, the character was arguably never better than he was inCreeddespite being long dead. While it may seem obvious to point this out in a series titledCreed, the three movies honored Apollo Creed more thanRockyever did.
Creed Remains As Strong As Ever
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
The final element thatCreeddoes better withRockyis justifying it as a franchise. BeyondRocky II,theRockyseries struggled to justify each new installment, leading to diminishing critical approval as it went on. By the time ofRocky V, the franchise was all but dead.Creed, however, brought it back with three equally impressive installments, withCreed 4even potentially focusing on another character beyond Adonis. TheRockyfranchise’s inability to do this led to its abrupt end untilCreed, with franchise longevity being one way the latter improves upon the former.
Rocky
Cast
Rocky tells the story of Rocky Balboa, an underdog boxer from Philadelphia who gets an unexpected shot at the world heavyweight title. The film explores Rocky’s personal and professional struggles, his romance with Adrian Pennino, and his journey toward self-respect and determination.
