Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu, Russell Hornsby, Wood Harris, Milo Ventimiglia, Robbie Johns, Andre Ward, Brigitte Nielsen | Written by Sylvester Stallone, Cheo Hodari Coker | Directed by Steven Caple Jr.

Steven Caple Jr.’s Creed II, the long-anticipated follow-up to Ryan Coogler’s 2015 film Creed, itself a spin-off of the Sylvester Stallone Rocky franchise, is quite simply put – gold dust. Caple Jr., taking the reigns from innovative and visionary director Ryan Coogler, is no easy task, even if the material in front of him writes itself – with Stallone heading the script with Cheo Hodari Coker, and Michael B. Jordan putting forward a stunning turn as Adonis Creed. Establishing his own visual style and direction, while honouring the existing aesthetic and thematic margin is no mean feat to simply dismiss.

Creed II achieves the rare success that has escaped many of its contemporaries and predecessors before it,...