I GUESS YOU HAD TO BE THERE!

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2004)

The previous comment states that this is a Sports Movie and I would disagree with that limitation. I watched the original victory and it meant more than just a 'sporting event' to the people of the United States. It was an affirmation that no matter how 'mighty' the Soviet Union was, these young men were able to show that they could be stopped, that courage and determination could overcome brute strength.
I remember the crippling recession, the gas lines, the invasion of Afghanistan and the Hostage Crisis. Young Americans by and large believed that eventually the Cold War would become Hot and we were all going to end up as radioactive waste. It's something that the post 9-11 mind seems to forget. My Mother, who was born in 1940, had grown up in the shadow of the bomb. My sisters and I were born and raised in Washington D.C. ~ the Ultimate Ground Zero. I remember how horrified the people from the University of Maryland were after they received the answers from the 15 year olds they polled about living in a First Strike Zone all of whom answered, "We're happy to be here. We won't have to live through it and stumble around the wreckage blind and waiting to die while counting how many body parts have fallen off during the night!"
This is more than a 'Sports Movie', it is a piece of History for those who choose to take the background events into consideration. It's also a testament to the power of dreams. I think the closing says it all, today's so-called Dream Teams have removed the wonder and the striving from the Olympics and left behind a shadow of the Miracles of the past.