Review: Creed, 2015, dir. Ryan Coogler

“There’s an alternate timeline in which Creed is a superfluous waste of nostalgia. In that universe, Warner Bros. gave the reins to a filmmaker other than Ryan Coogler, the young Oakland-born director who stunned viewers in 2013 with Fruitvale Station, a bio-drama about the death of Oscar Grant. Maybe Coogler is the last person anyone might expect to take up Sylvester Stallone’s mantle and breathe new life into the long-abiding, conditionally beloved Rocky franchise.Fruitvale Station, after all, doesn’t suggest Coogler’s ability at orchestrating thrills in the square circle. It’s socially conscious art made for a moment in American history where our nation remains undecided as to whether black lives matter or not.” (Via Paste Magazine.)