“It all feels so Shakespearean,” a fight announcer says at one point, and indeed, “Creed II,” which was directed by Steven Caple Jr. Still haunted by the absence of his father Apollo – who met his death at the merciless hands of Ivan (“I will break you”) Drago in “Rocky IV” – Adonis barely has time to recover from his championship bout when he’s challenged by Ivan’s son Viktor (Florian Munteanu), a grudge match that possesses all the mythical overtones suggested by the Creed family names. This installment finds Jordan’s Adonis Creed the reigning heavyweight champion of the world, and getting ready to propose to Bianca (Tessa Thompson), the beautiful neo-soul singer with whom he lives in Philadelphia. “Creed II” is a respectable if not revelatory sequel to the sequel, even if it lacks its predecessor’s grace and narrative texture. Directed with finesse and sensitivity by Ryan Coogler – who famously went on to make the blockbuster “Black Panther” – the 2015 drama had it all: a classically contoured boxing story, a strong emotional core, rich, deeply felt atmosphere and a strikingly good cast led by Michael B. In the annals of potentially disastrous spinoffs, “Creed” surely stands as an all-time champion.
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