In this next chronicle of the Creed family and their longtime connection to Rocky Balboa (the eighth in the “Rocky” cinematic world released Nov. 21 in theaters nationwide), young Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) receives a stark reminder as to the importance of remembering lessons learned in the past, honoring family ties and how they collectively impact our future.
In his efforts to balance life, he finds the challenges to be overwhelming. In the end, he gains crucial insight as to those things in our lives that are worth the fight. Fans who want to understand the nuances of this new release would best served by brushing up on “Rocky” history, particularly the backdrop of “Rocky IV” with James Brown’s “Living in America” serving as the theme song, the death of former champion Apollo Creed (Adonis’s father) in the ring and the subsequent slugfest in Russia between the towering Drago and Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) who defies the odds and avenges the death of his friend Apollo.
The MGM, New Line and Warner Bros. sequel pulled in a whopping $55.806 million during its opening weekend (Nov. 21-25)