Overall review of movie

Rating: Null/10 (22 February 2017)

What we have here in the movie Invincible, directed by Ericson Core is one of those classic sport-underdog-defying-the-odds movies that's been done over and over hundreds of times. But hey it always works, that's why a company like Disney Studios would make a movie like this, because its destined to always bring money to the box office. What makes it better is the movie is enhanced with the "based on true events" story line that helps connect audience more to the overall plot of the movie.
I must first give credit to Director Ericson Core because he was precise and specific with the plot of the film. Core graduated from USC's film program as well as a degree from the very prestigious Art Center College of Design. Throughout Core's college education he was surrounded by the world of sports. Overtime he was able to grow strong knowledge in the world of sports which helped him develop a movie that showed the economic hardships of one city, along with that how a hometown resident was able to make a name for himself. Something that was unusual was Core was also the Director of Cinematography in the film. It's honestly impressive to direct a movie and also to be in charge of the motion-picture photography. I thought this showed a deep passion Core had when producing this film, and it made the movie more enjoyable to watch.
Within the plot and production of the movie it was able to capture the financially pressed hardships of South Philadelphia in the mid-1970's. The movie gives an authentic feel with the cheap beer, flowed back hair, ugly cloths, and the horrific carpeting. What I thought was the crucial part in the production of the film was the number of scenes that showed the economic hardships for the residents of South Philly. The movie showed scenes of workers protesting outside of factories and it made a connection to the audience of how depressing people's lives were during the mid-1970's. These crucial connections that Ericson Core incorporated throughout the movie would help increase the emotion the audience would feel when watching the film.
What set this movie apart from other sports movies was the character Vince Papale being played by Mark Wahlberg. I say this because Wahlberg has the body and physicality of a NFL Football Player. Along with that, all the scenes were shot with real football players and Wahlberg did his own stunts, every welt and bruise was the real deal. Wahlberg went to the next level and was able to make this movie feel more accurate to real life events. He took on the duty of making the audience feel his pain and struggles through the main character Vince Papale. Wahlberg took an extensive amount of preparation before the film was shot, he spent months of training physically to replicate what a traditional NFL football player would look like. Another important point was Wahlberg mentally prepared himself to understand the hardships that these players go through during the season. With the extensive preparation he took, it increased the level of catharsis I had towards Vince Papale. With the inspirational plot, true to life characters, exhilarating scenes, and easy to follow dialogue, this movie gets the thumbs up as a must watch film.