|
|
|
|
|
When the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup, it was a bit unexpected, but it certainly wasn�t a miracle. Now, if long-time underdogs like the Columbus Blue Jackets had come out in their first appearance in the playoffs and won the Cup�well, that would have been a miracle.
And when Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) took the job as head coach of the US men�s hockey team and began preparing for the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, he knew he�d need a miracle�or maybe just a whole lot of hard work and determination�to beat the undefeated Soviet team.
Disney�s Miracle tells the true story of how Brooks took a team of strangers and long-time rivals and turned them into a family of hard-working players who might just have a chance of an Olympic medal.
The first half of the film focuses on the team�s seven months of training�the fights, the drills, the drama�and some more drills. Bound and determined to put up a fight against the Soviets�and to take home the gold medal that he never got as a player�Brooks decides to teach his team a new way of playing the game: the Soviet way.
In the midst of the drama and the drills, director Gavin O�Connor does an impressive job of developing the characters and building the suspense. Though it�s impossible to develop all 20 players on the final team, there are some standouts�the rebels, the fighters, the ones who struggle to make the team. There are plenty of back stories and side stories, too, to help the audience care about the players�but, at the same time, there aren�t so many side stories that things get too complex. For the most part, it�s just a simple story about teamwork and determination.
And, of course, at the center of it all is Brooks�a tough, unwavering coach with a past. He�s not exactly a lovable guy�he sometimes works the players until they�re sick, and his family often takes a back seat to his dream�but there�s a method to his madness. And although you might not fully understand it, Russell somehow manages to make him a character that you can get behind anyway.
As the film continues, it only gets better�and more thrilling. Though a quick online search will tell you the story�s outcome, that doesn�t make it any less intense. And once the players arrive in Lake Placid, the careful choreography and the fancy camerawork pay off. It�s exciting to watch�and it�s so well done that it�ll make you feel like you�re right there, on the ice.
Miracle is a powerful and triumphant film that�s based on an incredible (and, yes, maybe even miraculous) true story. It�s a must for any hockey fan�s collection�but, even if you�re not a sports fan, the inspiring story alone makes it well worth watching. Just don�t be surprised if, after watching it, you find yourself tuning in to ESPN a lot more often during hockey season.
Blu-ray Review:
The Blu-ray release of Disney�s hockey classic, Miracle, is loaded with features about the film and its spectacular true story. The making-of feature gives an overview of the process�from the casting process to the amazing choreography. Then, if you want to know even more, you can choose to watch the longer, more in-depth features�like From Hockey to Hollywood, which offers a closer look at the actors and the rigorous tests, auditions, and training that they endured to make the movie. There�s also a 40-minute ESPN roundtable, in which Kurt Russell and real-life players Buzz Schneider, Jim Craig, and Mike Eruzione discuss the months leading up to the 1980 Olympics. If that�s not enough, you can also learn more about the filmmaking process by watching the 10-minute feature on the film�s sound effects and editing. And, finally, you can get to know the real Coach Brooks by watching First Impressions, a rough collection of pre-production interviews with Brooks (who died before the film was finished).
The disc also includes a short outtake reel and an audio commentary with director Gavin O�Connor, editor John Gilroy, and cinematographer Dan Stoloff.
After watching Miracle, you�ll most likely want to know more about the story�and, fortunately, the film�s features provide plenty of additional information and archive footage. You can meet several of the actual players and hear the stories in their own words�and you can see how their story was brought to the big screen. There�s definitely a lot of stuff to watch on this disc, but it�s worth checking out.
|
|
|
|
