What age is Creed appropriate for?

Creed is rated PG-13 and PopcornCheck recommends it for ages 13+, based on reading the actual screenplay. The film features repeated strong language including 12 uses of a racial slur and 15 uses of 'shit,' along with intense boxing violence such as the 12-round championship fight where Adonis is knocked down twice and Conlan breaks a man's jaw with a punch at the weigh-in.

Does Creed have swearing or bad language?

Creed has Moderate language. The racial slur 'nigga/niggas' is used 12 times throughout the film

Creed has Moderate violence. The film opens with a fight in a correctional facility involving guards and inmates, and later Adonis fights another boy in a group home after an insult about his mother

Is Creed scary for children?

Creed has Moderate scary scenes. Rocky receives a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer diagnosis and later refuses chemotherapy, both tense emotional scenes rather than frightening ones

Is Creed OK for Kids?

Name: Creed
Director: Ryan Coogler
Genre: Drama
Released: 2015
Duration: 133 min
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashād, Andre Ward

Drama

13+

PG-13⭐ IMDb 7.6 / 102015 · 2h 13m

Ryan Coogler● Script verified

See all movies for 13-year-olds

Where to Watch

United States

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Streaming data by JustWatch

What's In It

Based on the actual screenplay

🗡️Violence

Moderate▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Cartoon / Comedic

Action & Peril

Injuries & Death Shown

Graphic & Disturbing

The film opens with a fight in a correctional facility involving guards and inmates, and later Adonis fights another boy in a group home after an insult about his mother
Adonis fights multiple people in a street altercation at a venue before the Conlan fight
The climactic 12-round championship fight between Adonis and Ricky Conlan includes multiple knockdowns, with Adonis knocked down in round 1 and again in round 11 before knocking Conlan down in the final round
Ricky Conlan punches boxing personality Danny Wheeler at the weigh-in, breaking his jaw
Adonis becomes visibly bloody during training and suffers cuts over his eyes during the fight; no deaths occur on screen and there are no weapons used beyond fists
Overall violence is presented as sports-based boxing action and street scuffles rather than graphic or gory content

💬Language

Moderate▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Mild Words

(damn, hell)

Moderate

(ass, b**ch)

Strong

(sh*t)

Extreme

(f**k)

The racial slur 'nigga/niggas' is used 12 times throughout the film
'S**t' is used 15 times, 'a**' 8 times, 'da**' 6 times, and 'hell' 5 times
'F**k/f**king' is used 4 times, along with 'b**ch' (3), 'b**tard' (2), 'dope' (2), and 'cr*p' (1)
This is frequent, strong language throughout, more suited to older teens and adults

👻Scary Scenes

Moderate▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Mildly Tense

Startling Moments

Genuinely Scary

Deeply Disturbing

Rocky receives a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer diagnosis and later refuses chemotherapy, both tense emotional scenes rather than frightening ones
Rocky collapses during a training session, an intense and worrying moment for Adonis and viewers
A doctor threatens to stop the Conlan fight due to Adonis's left eye injury, adding tension near the climax
The championship fight itself is intense when Adonis is knocked down in round 1 and appears unable to continue after being knocked down again in round 11
There is no horror content; tension resolves through Rocky's eventual commitment to treatment and Adonis's comeback in the final round

💕Romance

Moderate▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Crushes & Holding Hands

Kissing & Dating

Suggestive

Sexual Content

Adonis and Bianca meet at the gym and exchange contact information, developing a crush-level attraction
Adonis and Bianca share a kiss after his first fight
Adonis invites Bianca to his place, and she later visits him at Rocky's house, with suggestive but not explicit intimacy implied
Bianca helps dress Adonis before the championship fight in a domestically intimate moment
Bianca regularly attends Adonis's fights, showing ongoing supportive romantic interest; nothing explicit or sexual is shown on screen

🍺Substances

Mild▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Mentioned in Passing

Shown Casually

Featured Prominently

Glorified or Abused

There is a passing reference to Rocky's deceased wife trying chemotherapy
Characters are shown casually discussing drinking tea
A restaurant scene includes food and drink shown casually
No drug or alcohol use is glorified or shown as a focus of any scene

⚡Stimulation

Moderate▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Gently Engaging

Exciting

Intense

Overwhelming

Rocky's training montage features chicken-catching, heavy bag work, and shadow boxing set to energetic pacing
The 12-round championship fight is a continuous, high-intensity sequence with knockdowns and dramatic momentum shifts
The final round features both fighters trading heavy blows before Adonis knocks down the champion, an especially intense sensory sequence
Adonis's first professional fight victory by TKO and the tense weigh-in confrontation with Conlan add additional exciting, fast-paced moments
Sensory-sensitive children may find the boxing sequences overwhelming due to sustained noise, rapid editing, and physical intensity

Parents also checked

Creed — Heads Up for Parents

Despite being a sports drama, parents should be aware the racial slur 'nigga/niggas' is used 12 times and 's**t' 15 times throughout the film, which is more frequent and strong language than the boxing-movie premise might suggest.

About Creed

Creed follows Adonis Johnson, the illegitimate son of the late boxing champion Apollo Creed, as he leaves behind a troubled youth in group homes to pursue a professional boxing career under the reluctant mentorship of Rocky Balboa. The film blends intense boxing action with an emotional father-son style bond, as Rocky faces his own cancer diagnosis while training Adonis for a career-defining championship fight against Ricky Conlan.

👨‍👧

Best watched together

The frequent strong language (including a racial slur used 12 times) and the emotional weight of Rocky's cancer diagnosis and refusal of treatment are heavy themes that benefit from a parent being present to discuss with viewers under 15, even though the boxing violence itself is sports-based and not graphic.

Family Takeaways from Creed

What it gets right

✓The film portrays a nontraditional family being formed through compassion, as when Mary Anne takes in Adonis from juvenile detention
✓It shows emotional vulnerability between men, particularly in the pre-fight scene where Rocky tells Adonis 'I love you, kid' and Adonis reciprocates

Creed Cultural & Values Guide

Cultural & Values Guide

Values & Themes

●Traditional family values

The film centers on themes of legacy, family heritage, and father-son mentorship, including Mary Anne taking in Adonis and Rocky serving as a father figure, culminating in Adonis embracing the Creed name as a source of pride in his final interview.

Cast:Michael B. JordanSylvester StalloneTessa ThompsonPhylicia RashādAndre Ward