'Creed II' is another knockout for Michael B. Jordan, Stallone

Sequels are always so risky. You almost always disappoint, and at worst, detract from the power of the original. But Creed II is one of those fantastic ones which builds off your affection and respect for the first movie, and spins such a captivating new yarn that you find yourself rooting for a third installment when you leave the theater. Honestly, I think if the fact that the movie was a sequel wasn't so front and center this installment would be the Oscar contender Ryan Coogler's 2015 movie was. It's that good.

Just like Rocky II put its hero through the paces of a challenging sophomore slump, this new movie (directed with grace and intensity by newcomer Steven Caple Jr.) is all about pain and redemption.

Sylvester Stallone co-wrote this one, but none of the grit, humor and authenticity of its predecessor is lost. Instead we get to enjoy what have become new friends maturing. For instance, Jordan's titular hero and Tessa Thompson's Bianca's relationship is beautifully fleshed out in this one.

Yes, it has the old fashioned convoluted premise of the Drago family (led by a terrifically stoic Dolph Lungren) seeking payback for the humiliation they suffered at the end of Rocky IV, but even there story is handled with sensitivity and nuance, so much so that there is real pathos and stakes in the big fight confrontations for them too.

Meanwhile, Stallone is just so in the pocket as Balboa. Here is an actor who has been able to master a single character for over 40 years. That shuffle, that cocked hat, and uncertain line delivery gets me every time. He's just as incredible and heartbreaking in this film as he was in Creed (and frequently has been in many of the previous Rocky movies) and can have me in tears with just a single reference to his dearly departed Adrian.

But this is the Michael B. Jordan show. Let there be no doubt, following his scene-stealing performance earlier this year in Black Panther, and this, he is the leading man of the year (sorry Bradley Cooper). He has this remarkable ability to be both hyper masculine and achingly vulnerable in just the right doses. He has so much chemistry with everyone on-screen from Thompson to Stallone to Phylicia Rashad as his long-suffering mother.

I have no idea if he's keen to track the growth of this character over several films as Stallone did very successfully (his final entry as Rocky in the ring, Rocky Balboa, is still surprisingly moving), but the prospect is exciting. Here is an unabashed African-American hero whose race is self-evident but also not a major force or feature in the narrative. Audiences simply root for him because he is so damn charismatic and heroic. I haven't seen something like this with a black actor since Denzel.

And while there are those who are keen to call this movie formulaic and sentimental, they are overlooking the fact that the formula really works and sentiment is genuine.

This hero's journey is not unlike the one Stallone goes on in Rocky II -- but Jordan's Creed is a very different character (he's far angrier than Rocky ever is, Thompson's Bianca is no Adrian (she actually encourages her husband to fight) and even Stallone's Rocky has changed -- he's a wise man -- not an intellectual -- but a student of human behavior who knows how to read a room and who has perspective for days.

I'm just so inspired to see a big mainstream drama do such great business and be appreciated for the great pop entertainment that it is. Just like Halloween from earlier this year, this is a great genre reboot that hits all the right notes without ever feeling hokey and predictable. That's no small feat. I loved this movie and if you are a fan of this type of movie -- you will too.