"Creed" is the latest round of films paying homage to directors' childhood classics
Isn't it time this generation made some classics of its own?
By N.B.
In “Creed”, the seventh instalment of the 40-year-old “Rocky” franchise, the young hero (Michael B. Jordan) visits a restaurant owned by Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), the former heavyweight boxing champion. Named after the champ’s late wife, Adrian, the restaurant is a cosy neighbourhood bistro, but there’s no doubting who the owner is: the walls are decorated with framed black-and-white photographs of Balboa in his glory days. And, metaphorically speaking, so is the film. Everywhere you look there are tasteful reminders of times gone by, carefully arranged to bring a wistful tear to the eye.
The film’s big idea is that Balboa’s opponent-turned-friend Apollo Creed (who was killed off in “Rocky IV”) has an illegitimate son named, brilliantly, Adonis Creed. Reluctant to trade on his father’s reputation, Adonis grew up calling himself, also brilliantly, Donny Johnson. But he can’t resist the temptation to punch strangers in the face any longer. Turned away by every boxing gym in Los Angeles, he travels to Philadelphia and persuades his dad’s sleepy-eyed pal to train him. Who knows? He might just become a world champion himself.
On one level, “Creed” is a new story. Co-written and directed by Ryan Coogler, it examines what it must be like to live in the shadow of a national hero, and asks whether you should run towards or away from your inheritance. But on most other levels, “Creed” is a remake of “Rocky”. Evocative and affectionate, “Creed” assembles all your favourite set pieces from 1977’s Oscar winner, from the jog down the streets in a hooded grey tracksuit to the race up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum. As for Mr Stallone, he plays Balboa as the grizzled embodiment of nostalgia—and he does so with such lunkish, avuncular charm that he has earnt a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for his performance.
The surprising thing is that the film’s nostalgic impulses didn’t come from Mr Stallone. “Creed” was Mr Coogler’s brainchild, and he had to talk Mr Stallone into getting involved. The other surprising thing is that Mr Coogler is just 29. He wasn’t even born when the first four “Rocky” films were released. But, he says, he and his father used to watch “Rocky II” to psyche him up for school football and basketball matches; “Creed” glows with the warmth of those memories.
It’s not the only recent film to be wrapped up in nostalgia. Over the past year, numerous young directors have been paying gushing homage to the movies which enchanted them in their youth. The most salient example is JJ Abrams, who co-wrote and directed “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. The “Star Wars” series was always oddly backwards-looking for a science-fiction saga: it derived much of its magic from being set “a long time ago”. But that nostalgia is redoubled in “The Force Awakens”. As well as introducing a handful of new characters, Mr Abrams wheels out all the old ones, while ensuring that the dusty production design and stirring music cues are all comfortingly familiar. Anyone who sees the film in a busy cinema will hear a grateful cheer when Han Solo’s dented spaceship, The Millennium Falcon, is unveiled.
Also in 2015, “Terminator: Genisys” restaged several sequences from “The Terminator”, and, like “Creed”, it had a lovably creaky incarnation of its once-godlike central character. (This particular Terminator was even nick-named Pops.) “Jurassic World”, too, had so many sonorous echoes of Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” that they almost drowned out the dialogue. “The Peanuts Movie”—which is set in a pre-computer, pre-mobile phone America—was a love letter to the Charlie Brown television specials. And James Bond’s 2015 outing, “Spectre”, was haunted by its many predecessors. When George Lazenby took over the role of 007 from Sean Connery in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, he began by quipping, “This never happened to the other fellow.” In contrast, Daniel Craig’s adventures in “Spectre” were so deliberately retro that he might as well have said, “This happened to all the other fellows.”
It’s hardly unusual for Hollywood to recycle its hits, of course, but never before has unoriginality been such a major selling point. Never before have films been formulated to be as pleasingly predictable as a cherished grandmother’s home cookery. “Jurassic World” even had a character wearing a faded “Jurassic Park” T-shirt, the winking message being that it’s okay for the viewer to be thinking of an earlier, superior film.
The reason audiences have responded so enthusiastically to these nostalgia-fests—“Terminator: Genisys” excepted—is that that they are so uncynical. Their directors are clearly devoted fans of “Rocky”, “Jurassic Park” and the rest—and, for them, imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery. But however fond these cinematic tributes may be, they are still a waste of their directors’ talents. For Mr Coogler to follow his acclaimed indie drama, “Fruitvale Station”, with “Creed” is like a musician making a splash with his punky, political debut album, and then filling his second with bluesy covers. It may be polite of him to tip his hat to his elders, but shouldn’t he have some songs of his own to sing?
Mr Coogler has now signed on to direct a Marvel superhero movie, “Black Panther”, which means that he’ll be sticking to a formula again, just as he did when he made “Creed”. But at least superhero blockbusters don’t try to remind you of films from 30 years ago. With any luck, “Black Panther” will allow Mr Coogler to break some new ground. He may even come up with a film for the next generation to be nostalgic about.
