Creed (2015)

You could call every play in Creed from your couch: the underdog, the reluctant trainer, the montage, the big fight with the champ. Ricky Conlan, that champ, is mostly a scowl from Liverpool with nothing going on underneath. That’s the weak spot. Everything else is terrific. Ryan Coogler films an early fight in one unbroken take, never leaving the ring, and you feel every round in your shoulders. Michael B. Jordan plays Adonis as a kid with a famous last name and a giant chip on his shoulder, angry at a father he never got to meet. Sylvester Stallone gives his warmest, most tired performance, a man who visits his loved ones’ graves and reads them the newspaper. Tessa Thompson makes Bianca an artist with her own deadline, not a cheerleader in the corner. The run through Philadelphia with a pack of dirt bikes is pure goosebumps. An 8.8 because it honors the old movies while beating most of them. $6,761 says you hear a dirt bike outside this month and start jogging without meaning to.

What works: Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone are both outstanding, and Ryan Coogler’s one-take fight is a stunner.

What doesn’t: It follows the Rocky formula almost beat for beat, and the final opponent is a thin, one-note villain.

Who it’s for: Rocky fans, people who have never seen a Rocky movie, and anyone who needs a reason to go for a run.