The film “Creed” opens in the year 1998. We are in a correctional center for boys in Los Angeles — and some of these boys look like they're 8 through teens. Some very young boys are being led down a hall shackled at the feet and handcuffed suddenly an alarm sounds and shouting can be heard. The boys are told to get on the floor and cover their heads.

Turns out a fight has started in the commissary – two boys, maybe 11 or 12, are going at it, cheered on by the rest of the lunchroom. Each boy takes his licks, but if there was a winner, it would be the last boy. The boy pulled off the top of the other boy lying on the floor, if this had been a sanctioned fight, would have been declared the winner.

The winner turns out to be Adonis (Donny) Johnson Creed (Alex Henderson). This is an auspicious day for the boy. He has a visitor while he is in solitary. She does not tell him who she is right off.

A social worker at the juvenile center tells visitor Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad), wife of the World Heavyweight Champion, Apollo Creed, that the boy has just been placed in solitary for fighting — something he does all of the time — before she arrived.

Mary Anne tells Adonis she was sorry to hear about his mother — and was very sorry about his father. Adonis asks who she is that she knew his father. She tells him “He was my husband.”

Mary Anne takes her husband's child out of the facility to live with her. He is educated — goes to college. He grows up to be a young man with a bright future — if receiving a promotion in some kind of financial institution or an insurance company equals a bright future.

It's now 2012. Seventeen years later. Donny (Michael B. Jordan) has just won another boxing match in Mexico City. He's actually 15-0. He's tried to get in at the L.A. boxing hotspot, the Delphi, but since he refuses to tell anyone who he is, Donny can't get in.

After work, Donny spends his time watching his father's matches on You Tube, studying his moves and matching them, punch for punch.

After returning from Mexico this time, he gets a promotion, but it's really not what he wants. He's a natural born fighter/boxer and there's no denying it. He resigns from his job and tells Mary Anne. She goes from being so proud of him to unhappy about his decision in about 60 seconds.

“You are your father's son,” Mary Anne tells Donny. “You're part of him, but you don't have to be him.”

Donny tells her that's exactly what it does mean. He's been fighting all his life. Donny tells her he's headed for Mickey's gym in Philly where his father trained. And where he fought Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). Where he intends to go to be trained by Balboa. And, full time. Mary Anne tells him he's been through it and through it. Her husband, his father, died in the ring. She wanted better than that for him. She tells Donny not to worry about calling her.

Donny wastes no time heading for Philly and to Mickey's gym. He also heads for Balboa's restaurant, “Adrian's,” named after his late wife.

When the two men first meet, Rocky sees Donny's looking at a photo of him and Apollo in the ring, one of many such photos on the walls of the restaurant.

Donny strikes up a conversation, revealing knowledge about Rocky and Creed that the average guy (or gal) wouldn't know.

Balboa asks how Donny knows this stuff. Donny's reply, “I'm his son.”

He pitches Balboa about training him. Donny makes that pitch three times before Balboa decides to acquiesce — but not before trying to dissuade the young man from the path he thinks he wants to walk.

Rocky tells him, “You don't want to do this,” and “Do you want brain damage?” (something Rocky earned from his years in the ring).

Finally he gives Donny the drill he's been wanting: every day do 5 rounds of jump rope, 3 rounds of bags, 5 rounds of mirror boxing, a lot of freakin' running, and exercising.

As Donny's getting ready to mirror box, Rocky says, “You see that guy staring back at you? That's the toughest opponent you're ever gonna have to face. I believe that's true in the ring, and in life.”

That's just one of the moving scenes in this film, the seventh of the Rocky franchise.

Rocky goes to the cemetery with a newspaper and a red flower. He pulls down a folding chair from a nearby tree and opens it to sit down. But first, he puts a bottle of bourbon at the foot of the headstone of his former brother-in-law, and lays a red rose on his wife's grave. Then, opening up the paper says aloud, “Let's see what's in the news today.”

Donny moves in with Rocky — kinda invites himself in. Only bad thing about it is it means he'll be further away from his love interest, Bianca (Tessa Thompson), the oh, so lovely singer songwriter who lives downstairs in his apartment building. The two meet when he confronts her about her loud music. A few days later he's running through the streets and sees her face on a poster on a club marquee. He wanders in and hears her singing … let's just say love came to town for the young prize fighting hopeful. These two have great on screen chemistry.

Balboa trains Donny for his first real fight in the U.S. — and, yep, Donny wins. It starts out not looking too good, but just before the second round, Rocky tells him to do a certain punch or move or something — “just like his father did” to Balboa. Nails 'em.

Then, it’s time to prepare for a fight against Liverpool, England's Pretty Ricky Conlan (Anthony Bellew – a real life boxer), the lightweight champ of the world … before he goes to prison for some ugly deed or other.

But what Donnie really wants, is to go all the way and win himself a title.

Meanwhile, Rocky is begins what will be the biggest battle of his life — one that cannot be trained for.

I'm probably the only person on the planet who never watched any of the “Rocky” films. But, in case there are a few others out there — it's not really necessary to enjoy “Creed.”

Director Ryan Cougler was also screenwriter with Aaron Covington and they managed to write a story that drew me right in.

Cinematographer Maryse Alberti does a mighty fine job bringing the audience into the ring.

In an interview, Stallone said that boxing, with its footwork and timing, is like a “bloody ballet.”

Well, it's a dance, I'll give 'em that.

I'll also give Stallone props for delivering an honest, real performance. Not acting, listening; and enjoying being the character he created that has become iconic. Rocky Balboa, the two-time world champion is now the trainer, no longer the trainee.

The time will fly while you're back in Philly, home of Rocky Balboa and the location of Adonis Johnson Creed's training ground … sounds and looks like a spinoff franchise gold in the making. Do we hear “Creed II?”

“Creed” opens at The Harbor Theatre on Friday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. The film also plays at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12 and Sunday, Dec. 13. There's also a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday.

The Harbor Theatre is located at 185 Townsend Avenue in the shopping mall across from Hannaford. 207-633-0438.