Miracle

Rating: 10/10 (16 February 2014)

Perhaps Al Michaels said it best, while opening the broadcast for the Soviet and USA 1980 Olympic hockey game, "For people who don't know the difference between a blue line and a clothesline, its irrelevant." The movie Miracle is about much more than just a hockey team and its journey to the Olympic games. This is a true story of an inspirational team of twenty college kids who competed in the 1980 Olympics. The coach who brought these guys together and made them a family in such a short amount of time was Herb Brooks. He some how got the team to buy in and believe that they could stand a chance with the immortal Soviet Union at the time. This movie portrays much more than just an underdog sports story. It reveals the difficult times Americans were faced to go through and all the horrifying things that were happening with them during the cold war with Russia. Herb Brooks and his team gave Americans an opportunity to take their mind off the distractions and unite as one to watch the greatest sports moment in history. Miracle is a different underdog story in the fact that during the movie they don't focus on the other team much at all. Along with that is you don't know many of the guys on the USA team. The name of the characters and the small talk scene between the guys is just about all you get for depth of the characters. This movie is about the United States proving that Democracy is superior through a hockey game and understanding the man, Herb Brooks, who played a vital part in it. Herb Brooks, played by Kurt Russell, is the main focus in the film from a character standpoint. Kurt Russell does an amazing job portraying the type of man that Herb was. Kurt was able to provide such insight to Herbs life during the movie because Herb was actually on set to help him get into character. Herb was cut from the 1960 Olympic hockey team a week before the team won the gold medal and he was going to do anything in his power to insure they won it in 1980. He showed this through out the movie by not letting his emotions get in the way. The camera work in this movie is unreal. When you watch the movie it feels like you are out their on the ice with the players. The action scenes flow really well together and are easy to follow what is going on even if you have no background in hockey. The amount of work it must of taken to get each scene perfect is insane. An interesting aspect about Miracle is that when people watch the movie it gives them an indescribable feeling. It is a story that most Americans of 35 years or older are able to recall when and where they were during the time the event happened. I was talking with my teacher one day and asked him about the movie. He said he remembers the exact place he was at and what he was doing when the game was played. Watching the movie brought him back to that moment and it gives him chills every time he watches it. It gives me chills and I didn't even live through it, but it feels like you are when watching the movie. Disney pictures went above and beyond to recreate the greatest moment in sports history and it will leave you grinning from ear to ear.