Better the second time around

Rating: Null/10 (3 October 1999)

I was finally able to see this film. It has played on tv many times over the years, but I avoided seeing it because I thought it would be too boring. So I decided to rent the video. On the first viewing, I thought: this is such a BORING movie! I wasn't really paying attention to it while it was playing, because I thought it was too boring. But I decided to see it again the next day, and I realized what a really good movie this is. It's a story about two men from two very different backgrounds, and each one has his unique reason for wanting to win at the 1924 Olympics; yet, there are obstacles that they must face that may prevent them from reaching their goal. This is a touching film, though it's not a tearjerker in any way. In fact, it has a happy ending. I especially liked the electronic music score used in the film....considering the fact that this is a period film, the electronic score gave the film a unique touch. It's interesting, the score has become one of the best known and most liked film scores in history. On another note, a film like this one is almost a relic nowadays. I personally liked this film (after seeing it a second time). I thought it was a pretty movie, and I'm in my twenties....but I know most other young people would not like a film like this. If this film had been made and released now in the late 1990s, it would basically bomb at the box office. Unfortunately, people no longer admire epic-like movies such as "Chariots of Fire". It's a shame. This movie has been described by some as a "family movie"; I think it could be described in that way in the sense that it's a "harmless" movie. There's no blood/gore, or erotic sex scenes, or anything else that would be considered "foul". This is just a movie that's all about triumph and being the best that you can be. Yeah, it takes place in the early part of the century, and almost everyone in the movie speaks with a proper British accent (things that would bore most audiences), but it is an outstanding movie. You won't forget the most famous scene in the movie (which can be seen both at the beginning and at the end of the movie): the scene that shows the men running along the seashore, while Vangelis' score plays in the background. This movie was very deserving of any Best Movie award that was or could've been handed to it.