Miracle

Rating: 9/10 (7 July 2013)

The movie Miracle is by far one of the greatest sports movies I have seen to this day. I can watch this movie over and over and, even though I already know the outcome of the movie, I am inspired every time I see it. Being based off of a true story, a coach gathers a bunch of young college hockey players and puts together a team to take to the Olympics and face the professional Russian team. Despite the U.S team being young and inexperienced, their coach pushes them to another level allowing them to make a statement in the game. Their coach believes that it is more important for the U.S. Hockey team members to believe in themselves, and believe that as a team they can compete with some of the best hockey players in the world.
The coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell), a former Olympic hockey player of the 1960 U.S. gold medal team, was cut by his team as a player so he returned to his love of hockey by coming back as a coach. Putting a bunch of young college kids together who were once rivals created a great challenge for everyone because they had to come together as one to take on the so-called, "Invincible Russians". The movie Miracle shows the entire story of the teams' struggles and battles and what they had to overcome to achieve a goal they were all "hungry" for. This game turned into something more than just winning the gold medal, it made a statement during the rough times our country was going through. This game was during the cold war and it provided our country a boost of morale at just the right time when everyone so desperately needed it. The movie Miracle marks an incredible part of our history by showing those who are not even familiar with the sport of hockey the importance of always trying to be the best you can be and always believe that you can do anything. Even though it is a long movie (approximately 135 minutes), it captures all of the great moments of the game; allowing you to understand everything going on and keep you on your toes. By showing all of the hard work and dedication the team has for each other and for others, it is a movie that can relate to anyone who has a background in sports. This movie is very inspiring to anyone who sees it and experiences all of the struggles the Olympic team of college kids go through together. The movie captures all of the dedication of the team members and showcases the incredible amount of conditioning Herb Brooks, their coach, puts them through to excel as hockey players. The coach wants the team to get out of their comfort zone and be the most conditioned team there is in hockey. The coach tells the team "they may beat us 9 out of 10 times, but not tonight," inspiring the team to give it their best effort. An example of this is when they show a scene when his team loses and they stay after their game to do what is now in hockey arenas all across the country as the "Herbys"; skating down the ice, stopping and starting on every line when the whistle is blown. This truly captures a moment when the team finally comes together as one and shows all of their hard work. The acting in this movie is incredible and the great shots they capture are truly amazing. I highly suggest to anyone who loves good, inspirational movies that they see the movie, Miracle. The movie tells a great story and allows it to be understood very easily. It shows the evolution of a young team shown as underdogs come to the ice and make a statement, rather than just playing a game. If you love to watch movies that have a great upset in them and that give you goose bumps from the thrilling action, this is the movie for you. Miracle is still one of the greatest sport movies out there today. It does not really focus just on the sport itself, but rather the hard work and effort it takes to overcome an obstacle and achieve success by believing that you can do anything. With the U.S beating the Russians, they sent a message to everyone that with hard work and a winning attitude, "Miracles" do happen.