Creed II picks up on the heels of the first film, which chronicled Adonis Creed’s (Michael B. Jordan) epic rise from no-name fighter to heavyweight champ contender. Alongside Jordan, this sequel brings back standout actors Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, and Phylicia Rashad, and it also sees Sylvester Stallone step back into the role of Rocky Balboa for the eighth time. 

Apollo’s challenger in this flick is Viktor Drago (newcomer Florian Munteanu), the son of Rocky IV‘s Ivan Drago, who is again played by Dolph Lundgren. If you’re not a Rocky aficionado, check out our Rocky viewing guide to get up to speed in seconds on the entire series. 

Despite the movie sounding like an absolute homerun, critics haven’t gravitated to the film the same way that they did the first movie. Check out a few of the more notable reviews. 

IGN:

Entertainment Weekly:

Inverse: 

Variety: 

Mashable:

ScreenCrush:

The film releases on November 21, if you’re interested in getting to the bottom of the mixed reviews for yourself. Take look below at the very intense and moving trailer.

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