Creed(2015)

Plot Summary

• In 1998, Adonis "Donnie" Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of an extramarital lover of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), is serving time in a Los Angeles youth facility when Creed's widow, Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad), pays him a visit and offers to take him in.Seventeen years later, Donnie walks away from his job at a securities firm to pursue his dream of becoming a professional boxer. Mary Anne vehemently opposes this, remembering how her husband was killed in the ring 30 years earlier against Ivan Drago. He tries to get a slot at Los Angeles' elite Delphi Boxing Academy, but is turned down after he is beaten by the gym's star boxer Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler (Andre Ward). Delphi trainer Tony "Little Duke" Evers (Wood Harris) is Tony Sr's son. Tony Sr was a father figure for Apollo and was Apollo's trainer/manager when Apollo became world heavyweight champion and then one of Rocky's trainers for his rematch against Clubber Lang (Rocky III).Undaunted, Donnie travels to Philadelphia in hopes of getting in touch with his father's old friend and rival, Rocky Balboa. Donnie tracks down Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) at Rocky's Italian restaurant, Adrian's, named in honor of his deceased wife, and asks Rocky to become his trainer. Rocky is reluctant to get back into boxing, having already made a one-off comeback at a very advanced age despite having suffered brain trauma during his career as a fighter. However, he eventually agrees. Donnie trains at the Front Street Gym, with several of Rocky's longtime friends as corner-men, and also finds a love interest in Bianca (Tessa Thompson), an up-and-coming singer and songwriter.Donnie, now known as "Hollywood Donnie," defeats a local fighter Leo "The Lion" Sporino (Gabriel Rosado). Leo is the son of Pete Sporino (Ritchie Coster), the trainer of Mickey's gym (where Rocky used to train). Pete has been begging Rocky for years to train Leo, & is angry that Rocky is now training this nobody from LA.Word gets out that he is Creed's illegitimate son. Rocky gets a call from the handlers of world light heavyweight champion "Pretty" Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew), who is due to be forced into retirement by an impending prison term. Conlan was supposed to fight Wheeler for his last fight, but he broke Wheeler's jaw during a Pre match-up & now needs a new opponent. He offers to make Donnie his final challenger-provided that he change his name to Adonis "Hollywood Donnie" Creed. Donnie balks at first, wanting to forge his own legacy. However, he eventually agrees.While helping Donnie train, Rocky learns he has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He is unwilling to undergo chemotherapy, remembering that it was not enough to save Adrian when she had ovarian cancer. His diagnosis and the fact that his best friend and brother-in-law Paulie Pennino-Adrian's brother-has now passed away in addition to Adrian, Apollo and his old trainer Mickey Goldmill further force him to confront his own mortality. Seeing Rocky shaken, Donnie urges him to seek treatment.Donnie fights Conlan in Conlan's hometown of Liverpool, and many parallels emerge between the bout that ensues and Apollo and Rocky's first fight 40 years earlier. First, before going into the ring, Donnie receives a present from Mary Anne - new American flag trunks similar to the ones Apollo and later Rocky wore. Additionally, to the surprise of nearly everyone, Donnie goes the distance after giving Conlan all he can handle. Conlan wins on a split decision (just as Apollo retained his title by split decision against Rocky), but Donnie has won the respect of Conlan and the crowd. As Jim Lampley puts it while calling the fight for HBO, "Conlan won the fight, but Creed won the night." Conlan tells Donnie that he is the future of the light heavyweight division.The film ends with Donnie and a frail but improving Rocky climbing the "Rocky Steps" at the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Storyline

• Adonis Johnson is the son of the famous boxing champion Apollo Creed, who died in a boxing match in Rocky IV (1985) . Adonis wasn't born until after his father's death and wants to follow his fathers footsteps in boxing. He seeks a mentor who is the former heavyweight boxing champion and former friend of Apollo Creed, the retired Rocky Balboa. Rocky eventually agrees to mentor Adonis. With Rocky's help they hope to get a title job to face even deadlier opponents than his father. But whether he is a true fighter remains to be seen.... — Blake ordonez Adonis Johnson lost his mother when he was young and would get into constant trouble and end up in foster care or juvenile detention. One day a woman goes to see him and tells him that her late husband is his father. And her husband's boxing great, Apollo Creed. She would take him in and educate him but he feels the need to be a boxer like his father. So he moves to Philadelphia and approaches Rocky Balboa and asks Rocky to train him. Rocky tries to talk him out of it but it's something he needs to do. Eventually Rocky offers to train him and when he beats a great boxer and his connection to Apollo is revealed, he is offered a chance to fight a world champion and all he needs to do is take the name Creed. — rcs0411@yahoo.com Adonis Johnson is the son of Apollo Creed, former heavyweight champion of the world and the man Rocky Balboa lost to in his first title fight. Apollo Creed died before Johnson was born, so he never knew his father. Johnson is also a fighter and is 15-0, though in unofficial fights in Mexico. Working in an office he decides to fight full time. He leaves Los Angeles and moves to Philadelphia, hoping to get Rocky Balboa as his trainer. Eventually they team up, and slowly Johnson's career starts to take shape. Meanwhile, the light heavyweight champion of the world, Englishman Ricky Conlan, is looking for someone to fight... — grantss Even before he discovered he was the illegitimate son of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed who died in the ring before he was born, Los Angeles residing Adonis Johnson - Donny under more familiar circumstances - was always naturally using his fists to deal with life's issues. And even after Apollo's widow, Mary Anne Creed, took Donny in to raise after he was shuttled from group home to group home following his own mother's passing, Mary Anne in the process giving him a privileged life to do with whatever his heart desires, Donny still decides he wants to box as a career in honor of the father he never knew. Up to him making this decision, Donny had been self-taught, fighting solely in what could only be considered street brawls in Mexico despite they taking place in boxing rings. Those that know of Donny's heritage see him as untouchable to train due to the way his father died. As such, he decides to proceed without using the Creed name so that he can make it on his own terms, with only those that need to know knowing. In also not using the Creed name, he will not sully his father's legacy if he doesn't succeed. He moves to Philadelphia in hopes of training under another former heavyweight champ, Rocky Balboa, who was his father's nemesis but who ended up being his friend in their ultimate respect for each other in the ring. Rocky, who does learn who Donny is as one of the people who needs to be in the know, initially declines Donny's request as having put the life of boxing behind him. However, Donny is able to wear Rocky down for Rocky eventually to agree to become his trainer. Rocky coming out of boxing retirement raises some questions as to why and the eventual discovery of Donny's Creed heritage. While the Creed-Balboa combination in name alone can open doors, both Donny and Rocky have to decide if using the Creed name is the right move specifically for Donny, especially with others who may have ulterior motives not in Donny's best interest. Regardless of what they decide to do, they will spiritually have others in their corner: Mary Anne, who despite not liking Donny's career path, still wants to see her adoptive son thrive and succeed in whatever he does; Donny's girlfriend, Bianca, who is nonetheless facing her own issues as an aspiring singer who has progressive hearing loss; and Apollo, who lives in both Donny himself and Rocky. Through it all, other real life issues taking place outside the ring may factor into what happens to Donny. — Huggo 2 more All