The plot involves Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) banding together the latest iteration of his Expendables Special Forces team, under the guide of government agent Marsh (Andy Garcia), to stop some stolen nuclear devices from being activated. His right-hand man Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) joins up with old regulars Gunner (Dolph Lundgren) and Toll Road (Randy Couture). Along for the ride are new recruits Easy Day (50 Cent), Galan (Jacob Scipio) and Lash (Levy Tran), with Lee’s on again-off again girlfriend Gina (Megan Fox) also in tow.

No-one goes into these films expecting Oscar-worthy scripts, but the dialogue this time around is especially wooden and has no natural flow to it whatsoever. We know these people can act because we’ve seen it before, but ‘The Expendables 4’ seems to have been mapped out with no consideration for what’s come before, a complete lack of character development and a basic misunderstanding of what a classic 80s action film was all about.

The cast do what they can with the poor material laid out in front of them. Sylvester Stallone is in it more than I expected, but it’s still woefully underusing him and his talents. Jason Statham must be exhausted because he’s carrying this entire film on his back, but even he can’t work miracles in these trying circumstances. Megan Fox is a decent actress when she has the right material (‘Jennifer’s Body’ is an absolute classic and she is brilliant in that), and I’ve been a fan of her work in the past. She is obviously a siren, and dutifully portrays this in the film. But her character is so thinly put-together it’s absurd. She will no doubt get stick for this film, but a better writing team can easily make her character useful, and not just the seemingly obligatory eye-candy.

Dolph Lundgren’s character has historically been wasted in this franchise as an inside-joke that no one asked for. His comic relief is awful, and that’s no fault of his own. It’s completely down to the awful writing he has had to endure. Lundgren is a good actor – give him better material for the love of God. An absolute waste of a talent. Andy Garcia chews up the scenery, 50 Cent offers nothing of real substance and Levy Tran is completely wasted as Lash. However there are some positives. Randy Couture is still solid and Tony Jaa steals the film as Decha, a former ally of Barney who helps Lee out mid-film. Iko Uwais is always a joy to watch onscreen, and Jacob Scipio does a fantastic job playing Galan (who is meant to be Antonio Banderas’ character’s son). Banderas was meant to reprise his role of Galgo in this movie, but scheduling conflicts prevented it. So, (in the only good move the writers made with this entire film), they repurposed the character to be his son. Scipio does a remarkable job channelling Banderas trademark charisma.

How it took four writers to come up with this story is beyond me, but we have Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart, Max Adams and Spenser Cohen to thank for this mess. Not forgetting Scott Waugh’s poor direction which frequently opts for close-up action when a wider shot would have been far more satisfying to see the impressive set-pieces play out in. The fight between Jason Statham and Iko Uwais was great, as was any scene featuring Tony Jaa, but its impact was always affected by the way the sequences were put together, from its cinematography right down to its editing. Thankfully this isn’t ‘Taken 2’ levels of bad epilepsy-inducing action, but it also doesn’t hit its (very easy attainable) marks. Do the basics right and you win half the battle.

‘The Expendables 4’ is a massive missed opportunity and a complete waste of a chapter. Especially when we’ve had 3 very enjoyable movies already. And with the cast aging out soon, it seems like this is even more wasted time to deliver action fans a good, all-star ensemble. It was a long gap of almost 10 years between ‘The Expendables 3’ and this ‘Expend4bles’ mess, so we are running out of time. So please hire better writers and a proper action director if we are to get one more round with these characters. There is a market for this if anyone is willing to actually invest the proper time and attention this franchise needs. The fans deserve a much better finale than this.

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Megan Fox, Randy Couture, 50 Cent, Dolph Lundgren, Andy Garcia, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Levy Tran, Jacob Scipio Director: Scott Waugh Writer: Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart, Max Adams, Spenser Cohen Certificate: 15 Duration: 103 mins Released by: Lionsgate Release date: 22^nd September 2023

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Star-Lord aka Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is still struggling to get over the death of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and the emergence of an alternate version of her that has no history or romance with him. The Guardians are enjoying some downtime when a mysterious gold-being named Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) literally crashes into them, looking to take Rocket Raccoon (the voice of Bradley Cooper) as a prisoner. After the brutal attack, which leaves Rocket close to death, Peter and the Guardians including Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (the voice of Vin Diesel), Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) seek out help and turn to Gamora (Zoe Saldana). As Rocket’s life hangs in the balance, we learn that the Guardians must take on The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), a madman who thinks he is a god, and who wants to dissect Rocket to help create his master race.

James Gunn has always known how to give his projects real purpose and emotional attachment. This is certainly the case with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’, which tugs at your heartstrings right from the start, and that uses its characters to full effect to deliver a rich and rewarding story that completely captures your attention. The film packs an emotional punch throughout, whilst never backing down from delivering some jaw-dropping spectacle and amazing action set-pieces.

The strength of this franchise has always been with its characters, and its impressive ensemble once again proves that great writing coupled with astute casting always yields the best returns. The ‘Guardians’ ensemble has always been a fine blueprint for delivering mass-character stories on a big screen canvas, and thankfully ‘Vol. 3’ continues this trend. There are a lot of characters, but they all feel fleshed-out properly, and have something genuinely interesting to add to the overall narrative. Leading the way is Chris Pratt, who once again does a remarkable job as Star-Lord. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is ultimately his story, and his arc is explored well here. Pratt is always entertaining and has proved to be one of the best leading men in this genre.

Karen Gillan has really moulded Nebula into a fascinating and funny character. ‘Vol. 3’ really gives her a wonderful opportunity to showcase her talents and is one of the best characters of this third chapter. Dave Bautista continues to steal all of his scenes as Drax, and I’ll miss him the most. Bradley Cooper’s vocal work for Rocket is superb, with the furry raccoon being the main attraction of this movie. Rocket’s story is wonderfully realised, with Cooper delivering a heartfelt performance that resonates with the audience. Kudos to Sean Gunn, who not only plays Kraglin in the film, but who does the motion-capture work for young Rocket too, and Noa Raskin who voices Baby Rocket.

Linda Cardellini, Asim Chaudhry and Mikaela Hoover lend their voices to three very sweet new characters from Rocket’s past, Elizabeth Debicki returns as Ayesha, tasked with finding Rocket through her newly created son Adam. Will Poulter is funny in the role, however I was slightly surprised to see the character lean so heavily on the comedic element. Sylvester Stallone is great in his brief cameo, as are Nathan Fillion, Daniela Melchior and Maria Bakalova – who is hilarious as Cosmo the dog.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3’ is best viewed on a huge cinema screen to fully immerse yourself in the superb spectacle. IMAX has always been my preferred format choice for seeing such visceral blockbuster movies. ‘Guardians’ in IMAX Laser 3D adds something undeniably special to the movie-going experience, with crystal clear images and fully immersive 3D completely encapsulating the viewer into this world. After the recent boom in 3D died down, it’s nice to see it come back and used to good effect. In the past too many films came out in 3D that frankly didn’t need to be in the format. Now there seems to be a resurgence of 3D, but used for films that can actually benefit from the technology. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ is one of those films, and coupled with the supersized screens of IMAX, makes for a winning combination. If you can afford the price uplift from a standard ticket, then you won’t be disappointed.

After a lot of Marvel movies over the last 15+ years, the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ stand out as one of Marvel’s greatest cinematic achievements. They have taken a relatively unknown team and made them firm family favourites with stories of excitement, adventure, and compassion. It is very sad to see these characters go off into the sunset, but hopefully when the time is right, perhaps they can return to our screens. That looks like it will be many years off – if at all – but in the meantime, let’s celebrate the fact that we have had three incredible movies, lots of cameos and even a festive holiday special to enjoy. And the music alone has been an utter joy to listen to. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ is a fitting finale and a very emotional journey that will stick with its audience for many years to come.

Cast: Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Will Poulter, Chukwudi Iwuji, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Elizabeth Debicki, Maria Bakalova, Nathan Fillion, Daniela Melchior, Sylvester Stallone, Linda Cardellini, Asim Chaudhry, Mikaela Hoover Director: James Gunn Writer: James Gunn Certificate: 12A Duration: 150 mins Released by: Disney Release date: 3^rd May 2023

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The series stars Sylvester ‘Sly’ Stallone and his family, including wife Jennifer Flavin Stallone and daughters Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet. You can watch the trailer at the top of this article to get a taste of the drama to come.

After playing some of the most legendary characters in cinematic history, three-time Academy Award nominee Sylvester Stallone is ready to give cameras access to what he would consider the greatest role of his lifetime: Dad. This new series starring Stallone’s three daughters, wife and himself offers a seat at the table of one of Hollywood’s most famous families.

‘The Family Stallone’ is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, with Benjamin Hurvitz, Jessica Zalkind and Nadim Amiry as executive producers. Julie Pizzi, Farnaz Farjam, and Jonathan Singer serve as executive producers for Bunim-Murray Productions, with Lauren Goldstein, Valana Hunn, Chris Ray and Jason Williams as co-executive producers.

Fans can use the hashtag #TheFamilyStallone to join the conversation on social media and follow @TheFamilyStallone on Instagram and TikTok.

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Stallone along with his wife Jennifer Flavin Stallone and daughters Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet, will premiere exclusively on the service this spring in the U.S and Canada. The eight-part series will roll out in other countries this year.  

After playing some of the most legendary characters in cinematic history, three-time Academy Award nominee Sylvester Stallone is ready to give cameras access to what he would consider the greatest role of his lifetime: dad. This new series starring Stallone’s three daughters, wife and himself offers a seat at the table of one of Hollywood’s most famous families.

Meet the Family Stallone: 

• Sylvester Stallone: To the world, he’s the man, the myth and the legend – but to his daughters, he’s just Dad. While he headlines box office smash hits, at home he is focused on building for the future and raising three independent and ambitious women. 
• Jennifer Flavin Stallone: Born and raised in LA, Jennifer is a savvy businesswoman and co-owner of the wellness brand Serious Skin Care. 
• Sophia Stallone: The eldest of the three Stallone sisters has no interest in following in her father’s acting footsteps. Although Sophia currently hosts a podcast, “Unwaxed,” alongside her sister Sistine, she is still finding her path in life and focusing on her passions. 
• Sistine Stallone: An actress and model, Sistine is embarking on a new journey as a filmmaker and is currently in development on her first feature film.
• Scarlet Stallone: The youngest of the Stallone sisters, and the last to leave the nest, Scarlet is moving into her own apartment at college. She has been set on following in her father’s footsteps and becoming an actress since she was a child, and is now appearing alongside Sly in his new series TULSA KING, also available exclusively on Paramount+.

‘The Family Stallone’ is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, with Benjamin Hurvitz, Jessica Zalkind and Nadim Amiry as executive producers.

Julie Pizzi, Farnaz Farjam, and Jonathan Singer serve as executive producers for Bunim-Murray Productions, with Lauren Goldstein, Valana Hunn, Chris Ray, and Jason Williams as co-executive producers. 

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The film stars Starring Sylvester Stallone, Javon “Wanna” Walton, Pilou Asbæk, Dascha Polanco, and Moises Arias. ‘Samaritan’ is directed by Julius Avery and written by Bragi F. Schut.

Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Javon “Wanna” Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Sylvester Stallone) is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty-five years ago, Granite City’s super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis.

Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.

‘Samaritan’ will be available on Prime Video from 26th August 2022. Watch the trailer at the top of this article.

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David Ayer’s ‘Suicide Squad’ gained notoriety for being hacked to bits by the studio. The end result was (understandably) a disjointed affair that didn’t get the numbers or praise that Warner Bros were hoping for. But most damagingly, it meant that audiences were never going to get to see Ayer’s true directors cut of the film. This kind of interference wasn’t present for ‘The Suicide Squad’, with Gunn stipulating that he’ll only make the film if he had complete creative control. With Warner Bros having no doubt learnt some lessons from the past, they granted him his wish and in return he has delivered to them the DC Extended Universe’s finest film to date.

Taking big inspiration from classic westerns and war movies, ‘The Suicide Squad’ is a deceptively simple story played out to near-perfection. The squad (in-mates at Belle Reve Penitentiary who all possess super-human abilities), are tasked with another high-priority mission to save the world. Under orders from the cold and calculated Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), The Suicide Squad must go into Corto Maltese in South America to destroy Jotunheim, a prison stronghold and laboratory that now houses devastating human experimentation and dark secrets.

One of the tag-lines of the film is ‘Don’t Get Too Attached’ and that’s absolutely spot-on. ‘The Suicide Squad’ is not afraid of culling its roster at an alarming rate. There are some shocking and surprising deaths in the movie and it keeps the audience on their toes throughout. In true ‘Dirty Dozen’ style, you just know that they all won’t make it back and that uncertainty gives ‘The Suicide Squad’ a rare commodity in superhero films, a level of unpredictability that fuels genuine shock and surprise.

This movie has a sensational ensemble and its all led beautifully by Idris Elba and Margot Robbie. Elba has been crying out for a role like the deadly marksman Bloodsport – he has finally been given an action film that’s worthy of his natural charisma, ability and screen presence. As for Robbie, she is the DCEU’s most valuable asset, and simply excels as Harley Quinn. Her character has also noticeably developed over the course of ‘Suicide Squad’ and ‘Birds of Prey’. ‘The Suicide Squad’ finds Harley a lot more comfortable in her own skin and that means even more classic Quinn moments that will make you laugh out loud.

The rest of the ensemble are superb with not one dud performance in the pack. Highlights include Joel Kinnaman who reprises his role as Colonel Rick Flag, Daniela Melchior, who hands in a surprisingly emotional turn as Ratcatcher 2, David Dastmalchian’s hilariously tragic Polka-Dot Man, who has severe mommy-issues, Peter Capaldi’s devious turn as The Thinker, John Cena as the muscle-bound Peacekeeper and Sylvester Stallone who voices everyone’s new favourite Suicide Squad member King Shark.

As you’d expect from a James Gunn film, the humour is plentiful and always lands on its mark, delivering dark laughs and grisly chuckles as regular as clockwork. His soundtrack choices also have become such a huge part of his big screen storytelling experience, with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ being a shining example of how he can marry music and image perfectly. ‘The Suicide Squad’ follows suit with some incredible music choices. And then there’s the action set-pieces, of which there are many. They all deliver for sheer spectacle and audacity, but there’s heart in every scene which makes the carnage and blood-spill anything but gratuitous. The finale is also one of the most satisfying and engaging blockbuster spectacles I’ve seen in years.

‘The Suicide Squad’ is a film that has to be seen in IMAX. It has so much scope and visual flair that IMAX is simply the perfect canvas to watch James Gunn’s beguiling classic on. The film was filmed with IMAX in mind, meaning ‘The Suicide Squad’ is digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience, with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images and the powerful digital audio create an unparalleled movie-going experience. I’ve said it many times before, but IMAX is truly the best way to watch big blockbuster cinema. If you can afford the price uplift then seek it out, because it’s a wonderful experience for film fans to savour.

‘The Suicide Squad’ is a big success, with visuals that amaze, a story that engages throughout and an ensemble that entertains at every given opportunity. James Gunn has done it again, and with him now returning to Marvel’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ franchise, it’s happy days ahead for all comic book movie fans. After the struggles and strains we’ve all felt over the past year and a half, do yourselves a favour and catch ‘The Suicide Squad’ at the cinema – it’s a wonderful experience and a very enjoyable film.

Cast: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, Joel Kinnaman, Daniela Melchior, Viola Davis, David Dastmalchian, John Cena, Peter Capaldi, Sylvester Stallone, Sean Gunn, Steve Agee, Tinashe Kajese, Jennifer Holland, Flula Borg, Mayling Ng, Pete Davidson, Nathan Fillion, Jai Courtney, Michael Rooker, Alice Braga, Storm Reid, Stephen Blackehart Director: James Gunn Writer: James Gunn Certificate: 15 Duration: 132 mins Released by: Warner Bros Release date: 30^th July 2021

[rwp-reviewer-rating-stars id=”0″]

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Rambo: Last Blood was widely derided and dismissed upon its theatrical release, as an ugly affirmation of Trump-era jingoism and xenophobia. It certainly is those things, but slamming a Rambo film for being right-wing and a bit racist, is like criticising a Ken Loach film for being a bit lefty. Honestly, have you seen the second, third, and fourth entries in this series of films? They’re basically the cinematic equivalent of the “America Fuck Yeah” song from Team America: World Police. Only in this case, the team is one-man army / mega killing machine John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone).

Picking the story up eleven years since we last saw him ripping throats out and splattering bad guys with a .50 calibre anti-aircraft gun in the jungles of Burma, Rambo is now back in America living on his family ranch. He manages the ranch with Maria (Adriana Barraza) and her granddaughter Gabriela (Yvette Monreal) who have become like a surrogate family to Rambo. They love him and accept his eccentricities, such as the insane network of tunnels he has built under the ranch to make him feel like he’s back in ‘Nam. I wonder if they’ll be instrumental to the plot later in the film?

Gabriela wants to track down her estranged father in Mexico, but Rambo and Maria forbid it, because in this universe, Mexico is akin to the way Europe is portrayed in the Taken films; a generic foreign hell-hole where everyone is a thug, criminal, or rapist, and all the police are corrupt. When they realise she has disobeyed them and gone to Mexico anyway, their crazed and terrified reactions are laugh out loud funny. Needless to say, within 24-hours of crossing the border, Gabriela has been kidnapped by a cartel, and now Rambo is going to go and get her back. And maybe kill a few Mexicans while he’s at it.

As someone who loves the original film, and has a nostalgic fondness of the first two sequels, it gives me no pleasure to report that this is a vile film. It is essentially the same plot as Taken – that other paean to American righteousness and fear of foreigners – but with a sprinkling of Home Alone. The only difference here is that Last Blood’s portrayal of Mexico makes Taken’s portrayal of Europe seem positively progressive.

But as I said at the top of the review, you should know by now what you’re going to get with a Rambo film. You don’t come to these movies for balance and nuance. So let’s cast the ropey politics aside for a moment and just look at it as a movie. Can you ignore the atrocious stereotypes and moral dubiety and just enjoy the film? Well no is the answer, because unfortunately Rambo: Last Blood is dreadful. I’m not sure why Stallone has ceded control of the film to a director with far less skill than he possesses himself. Relentlessly bleak and nasty, and with a script that feels like it was tossed off in a weekend, this is without a doubt the nadir of the Rambo saga.

This film had a reported $50m budget, but for the life of me I cannot see where that went. Shot on the cheap in Spain and Bulgaria, and shoddily thrown together, it is laughably bad in places. Because Stallone is so good, he does still manage to pull something resembling an empathetic performance from the otherwise one-dimensional script. But this Death Wish-sequel version of John Rambo is a far cry from the soulful, wounded veteran we met wandering the highways of the Pacific Northwest.

There are a couple of special features on the Blu-ray disc. First up is Drawing Last Blood, a 50-minute production diary going behind the scenes of the film. The most interesting thing here is listening to them talk about the film they thought they were making, referencing classic 70s movies and masterpieces of American fiction. Goes to show that no one ever sets out to make a bad movie, but they really missed the target by quite some distance with this one.

From First Note to Last Blood: Music for the Massacres is a featurette going deep into the process of composer Brian Tyler writing and conducting the new score for the film, whilst maintaining the themes of Jerry Goldsmith’s iconic music from the original. Finally, the disc also comes with the theatrical trailer.

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Adriana Barraza, Yvette Monreal Director: Adrian Grunberg Writer:Matthew Cirulnick & Sylvester Stallone Released By: Lionsgate Certificate: 18 Duration: 89 mins Release Date: 13th January 2020

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The latest instalment in the long-running franchise sees Sylvester Stallone reprising his role as John Rambo. He will be joined in the cast by Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adrianna Barraza, Yvette Monreal, Genie Kim aka Yenah Han, Joaquin Cosio, and Oscar Jaenada.

Take a look at the poster below:

Rambo: Last Blood is directed by Adrian Grunberg. It features a screenplay written by Matt Cirulnick and Sylvester Stallone, based on a story by Stallone.

Almost four decades after he drew first blood, Sylvester Stallone is back as one of the greatest action heroes of all time, John Rambo. Now, Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission. A deadly journey of vengeance, Rambo: Last Blood marks the last chapter of the legendary series.

Watch the teaser trailer for the film below:

Rambo: Last Blood arrives in cinemas on 19th September 2019.

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The follow-up to 2008’s Rambo, Rambo: Last Blood also stars Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adrianna Barraza, Yvette Monreal, Genie Kim aka Yenah Han, Joaquin Cosio, and Oscar Jaenada. Watch the teaser trailer:

Directed by Adrian Grunberg, the latest instalment sees Stallone back as one of the greatest action heroes of all time, John Rambo.

Now, Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission. A deadly journey of vengeance, RAMBO: LAST BLOOD marks the last chapter of the legendary series.

Lionsgate in association with Millennium Media presents, a Millennium Media Balboa Productions and Templeton Media production, in association with Campbell Grobman Films, and in association with Dadi Film (HK) Limited.

Alongside the teaser trailer, a teaser poster has also been released. Take a look below:

Rambo: Last Blood is in cinemas from 20th September 2019.

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Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren take centre-stage for these new videos that showcase what fans can expect from the latest Boxing drama, but it also finds the two legends reminiscing about their work on Rocky IV and how they came to work together. It’s fantastic to see Stallone and Lundgren revisit the film and look back at key moments from their past and the legacy of the Rocky franchise.

Check out our review of Creed II

Creed II stars Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu, Wood Harris, Russell Hornsby and Phylicia Rashad and is the latest instalment in the beloved Rocky saga, which now runs at 8 movies.

The first Creed movie came out in 2015 and was a critical and box-office smash hit. With awards season recognition thrown in for good measure too, Creed put Rocky firmly back on the cinematic map for new generations and old. Creed II allows audiences to relive the classic movies and look forward to a bold new era in the saga of Rocky Balboa and Adonis Creed.

Michael B. Jordan steps between the ropes once again as Adonis Creed, Apollo Creed’s son, with mentor and trainer Rocky Balboa back in his corner for a high-stakes fight, but tensions run high as the past comes back to haunt both men. Rocky Balboa is once again played by screen legend Sylvester Stallone.

Watch all of the Rocky and Creed training montages ahead of the release of Creed II

Steven Caple Jr. takes over directing duties from Black Panther’s Ryan Coogler, who still acts as an executive producer on the film.

Steven Caple Jr. has most recently worked on the TV series Class and Grown-ish, and the feature film The Land. He most recently directed Rapture, a documentary TV Mini-Series.

The supporting cast for Creed II includes Andre Ward, Michael Buffer, Monica Haynes, Myles Humphus, Darin Ferraro, Ivo Nandi and Kristina Aponte.

As Rocky fans remember all-too-well, Ivan Drago killed Adonis’ father Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers) in the ring at the start of Rocky IV, before Rocky Balboa defeated him in a bruising bout in Russia. With plenty of unaddressed history and emotional pain, Adonis now must square up to Viktor (Ivan Drago’s son) in a boxing bout that will define both of their legacies, as Rocky and Ivan also prepare to revisit their shared past.

Check out the latest Creed II featurettes below;

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Creed II follows on from the first film and now Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is ready to take on the champ for the title. In the aftermath, an unexpected opponent makes himself known; Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu). The son of one of Rocky’s greatest adversaries Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), Viktor is a formidable foe who has no problem dredging up the past. Ivan killed Adonis’ father Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in the ring and has returned to redress the balance after his loss to Rocky over 30 years ago.

Adonis immediately wants to take the fight, but as his relationship strengthens with Bianca (Tessa Thompson), he must make some tough choices – some which are made tougher to handle when Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) refuses to train him for what he sees as a no-win fight. With family ties straining and responsibility mounting, Adonis must face up to his greatest opponent yet, whilst honouring the legacy of a father taken away from him too soon.

The ingredients are all here to have made another knock-out movie. The story set-up is good, bringing all of the Rocky movies together in a tale that nods to the past whilst setting up the future. This is ultimately a story about fathers and sons, and in that respect Creed II is fantastic. The unresolved drama from the past with Apollo, along with his new future alongside Bianca gives Adonis plenty to deal with in this movie and Michael B. Jordan once again proves that he is the man for the job. Jordan is fantastic here and really strikes a chord with the viewer.

It’s always a joy to see Sylvester Stallone back on the big screen and the legend does exceptionally well once again as his greatest ever character, Rocky Balboa. His story has moved on having put his cancer into remission, with Rocky now looking to reconnect with his estranged son. This part of the storyline really doesn’t make much sense given how good a job Rocky Balboa did in reconnecting him with his son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia). Robert’s absence was felt in Creed, but this story does make strides to redress that balance, with Ventimiglia returning for a cameo.

Speaking of cameos, Brigitte Nielsen returns as Ludmilla, but this is where I start to have problems with the story. It’s great to see her back, but she has nothing to do here and that’s a massive waste of a set-up. The story of Drago looking for a win through his son is interesting, but the plot never really delves too deep which is a massive shame. Dolph Lundgren is a good actor but shy of a great tête-à-tête with Rocky in his restaurant, he isn’t afforded much opportunity to break free from the one-liners and grimaces which is a huge missed opportunity. His strained relationship with Vikor is outlined well, and Florian Munteanu does well as a son just looking for validation from his stern father. But again, there was much more mileage in this part of the story that could, and should, have been explored more. To not have a scene with Ivan speaking with his ex-wife Ludmilla is madness.

Creed director Ryan Coogler brought a very distinct style to his movie and it was a shame that he didn’t return to direct this one (although he still executive produces the film). Instead Steven Caple Jr. steps up to lead the film. I wasn’t a fan of his choice of shots when it came to the boxing – for me he came in close when wide angles were better and he doesn’t give any of these scenes the vibrancy and dynamic energy they needed. Even the key montage training sequence feels poor compared with the others. This is a personal preference on visual style, but for me Creed II lacks electricity in the action scenes and that was a hard punch for me to shake off.

The family aspect of the film works far better than the boxing side of things, but Creed II is still an entertaining watch. As a lifelong Rocky and Creed fan, I was expecting more and was disappointed in how glaring opportunities to add weight and depth of the characters went begging. There was too much untapped potential here to make this the easy win it should have been, and I’m disappointed for that because I think Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone and the cast deserved a little better. Bring back Coogler for Creed III and expand on the well-laid groundwork to bring this champ back to his feet.

Watch all of the Rocky & Creed training montages here

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Russell Hornsby, Wood Harris, Milo Ventimiglia, Brigitte Nielsen Director: Steven Caple Jr. Writer: Cheo Hodari Coker, Sascha Penn, Sylvester Stallone, Juel Taylor Released By: Warner Bros Certificate: 12A Duration: 130 mins Release Date: 30th November 2018

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The ‘Who’s in your Corner?’ featurette and clip focus on the narrative theme of family that runs throughout the story, with the Creed II cast discussing what the stakes are for each man fighting.

The TV spots showcase lots of quick-fire sequences from the movie in preparation for the most anticipated fight of the year.

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu, Wood Harris, Russell Hornsby and Phylicia Rashad, Creed II is the latest instalment in the beloved Rocky saga.

Creed II (Creed 2) opens in cinemas nationwide on 30th November 2018.

Creed first burst onto the scene in 2015 and quickly picked up momentum as a critical and box-office smash hit. With awards season recognition too, Creed put Rocky back on the map for new generations and old to relive the classic movies and look forward to a bold new era in the saga of Rocky Balboa.

Michael B. Jordan, fresh from his recent stint in Marvel’s Black Panther, steps between the ropes once again as Adonis Creed, Apollo Creed’s estranged son, with mentor and trainer Rocky Balboa back in his corner for a high-stakes fight. Rocky Balboa is once again played by the legend that is Sylvester Stallone.

Steven Caple Jr. takes over directing duties from Black Panther 2’s Ryan Coogler, who this time around acts as an executive producer on the film. Steven Caple Jr. has most recently worked on TV series such as Class and Grown-ish, and the feature film The Land. He also most recently directed Rapture, the TV Mini-Series documentary.

Check out all of the Rocky & Creed movie montages to get ready for the release of Creed II

The supporting cast for Creed II includes Darin Ferraro, Ivo Nandi, Michael Buffer, Andre Ward, Monica Haynes, Myles Humphus and Kristina Aponte.

As Rocky fans remember all-too-well, Ivan Drago killed Adonis’ father Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers) in the ring at the start of Rocky IV, before Rocky Balboa defeated him in Russia. With plenty of unaddressed history and emotional pain, Adonis now must square up to Viktor (Ivan Drago’s son) in a boxing bout that will define both of their legacies.

Check out the latest Creed II clip below;

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