Rocky Balboa returns in 'Creed' trailer

Posted Wednesday, July 1, 2015 at 2:56 PM Central

by John Couture

Everyone knows my love-hate relationship with sequels and reboots. As a general rule, I'm not a very big fan of either, but there's always an exception to every rule, right?

I loathe the money grab, but if there's a compelling reason to continue making films in a series and a good story, then I'm pretty much all for it. Enter the Rocky series. The first two films were worthy, but then things got off the rails quickly. Rocky Balboa seemed to be return to glory and a fitting end to the series, but Sylvester Stallone isn't one to ever quit while he's ahead.

When news started to emerge on Creed, my first thought was blatant money grab and I was cynical to say the least. It was a way for Sly to milk the character yet again without having to put a 70-year-old in a boxing ring. Despite my cynicism, the story was intriguing, Apollo Creed's son getting mentored by his father's greatest rival and close friend. If done right, Creed could give the Balboa character the closure in a way that makes sense, becoming the Mickey for the next generation's underdog.

It's a theme that bombed big time in Rocky V, but if handled properly, it could be a great bow for the classic film character. When news broke that Michael B. Jordan was going to play the young Creed, my curiosity was piqued as I've always enjoyed his work on the big screen. The trailer that debuted today, took that curiosity through the roof.

There's a great, subtle homage to Mickey and a sly reference to the unofficial Balboa/Creed III that ended Rocky III. Best of all though, there's a clear effort to move the franchise in a new direction. There's no "Eye of the Tiger" or "Gonna Fly Now" in the trailer, instead a Lupe Fiasco track "Prisoner 1 & 2" is featured in the trailer. This is clearly a new path for Rocky films and I'm intrigued as to where it's going to go.

Creed hits theaters on November 25.