 Sylvester Stallone doesn’t get back in the ring* in “Creed,” but he still comes away as a big winner in this offshoot* of the Rocky series. Rocky’s fearsome, Muhammad Ali-like opponent from the first four series entries left behind an illegitimate son* who, after a rough, largely parentless childhood, begins pursuing the fight game in venues in Tijuana. Thinking he might be good enough to follow in his famous father’s footsteps, Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) has no trouble tracking down Rocky at the Philadelphia Italian restaurant Adrian’s, named after the boxer’s late wife, and only slightly more difficulty convincing* him to guide him in his quest to become a first-rate fighter. Despite resistance at the beginning, it’s a given that Rocky will cave* and help the kid out. The script follows a formulaic* line from here on: Rocky hones and shapes his new charge, who’s never been trained in a professional manner, finally taking him back to his old Front Street Gym; Rocky goes to the cemetery* to sit and talk with Adrian while Adonis meets neighbor Bianca (Tessa Thompson), who just happens to be a foxy singer who’s doing some local performing at the moment. An interesting touch has Bianca coping with a hearing problem that forces her to wear hearing aids. Positioned exactly half-way into the film, his first East Coast bout* sees the hopeful getting beaten up a bit before getting the feel of things. Winning this match-up also lets the cat out of the bag*, that this kid is the son of Apollo Creed. The news attracts the attention of arrogant* British undefeated light-heavyweight champ “Pretty” Ricky Conlan, who, for reasons of his own, needs a quick fight and sees a big, and seemingly easy, payday in taking on the inexperienced American with such a famous lineage*. A troubling and perhaps unnecessary medical subplot takes place at this point, but the central formula remains unchanged: Can a relatively untested but appealing underdog* go toe-to-toe with a beast in the ring? The film is rated PG-13. (SD-Agencies) | 