A Brilliant Conflict

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

This movie has all the ingredients of an epic 9/10. Great cast, great story but still you'll feel something is missing, maybe a great director...I don't know.

If I could I would rate this movie 10000/10! I may be Irish in general, but I am half American and a die-medium fan of Cleveland Browns! Anyways the heart warming tale is a tale of motivation and surprises (and tear ducts) It reminded me of my kind of Titanic! The movie has it's first sad moment in the ghastly plane crash that kills all if the players and coaches. I have NO idea how I didn't cry during the movie... But I did get a bit teary-eyed after some of the wonderful and tragedies.I love the fact that it tells all the new recruits futures in the end.My favorite movie used to be The Blind Side, but this movie "punted'" that out if it's position!

The events that inspired the film We Are Marshall are definitely enough to inspire a great story. The trick is avoiding the many sports movie clichés that are potentially lurking behind every turn of the page of any possible screenplay. To its credit, this film avoids a lot of them, and uses its characters and its atmosphere to make the ones we see a little more forgivable. The tragic 1970 plane crash that took the lives of most Marshall University football players, boosters, and athletic department personnel is a story most sports fans are familiar with. This film doesn't provide us with any insight into its cause, or give us many of the details we didn't already know. What it does, and quite effectively, is focus on the survivors and how they attempt to move on. The school very nearly ended its football program, and nobody could have blamed them if they had never played another game. Funny thing about football... its just too much a part of our national passion to ever give it up.This film could have easily been a feel-good vehicle for Matthew McConaughey, but luckily they had the sense to dial his presence down a tad. He certainly still stands out and gives a charismatic performance, but he isn't even introduced until well into the film as Jack Lengyel, the coach who will be the first to lead the Thundering Herd back onto the field. Matthew Fox as the only surviving assistant from the past coaching staff also does fine as the conflicted coach who takes a great deal of convincing before he joins the new staff. Film does a great job detailing the difficulty of blending new players with the few surviving ones who were not on the plane. Even in the heart of a tragedy, boys will still be boys... especially when they play football at a major university.Of course we get the "big game" climax at the film's conclusion, but since this one is based on fact, the cliché is a lot easier to take. The film is visually impressive and seems to give great attention to detail. West Virginia is quite a beautiful place, and there are some scenes where the surroundings on the horizon take on a character of their own. I was generally surprised at how much I liked this film. I was expecting something a little more artificial. Not only is it thoughtful and nostalgic, but it shows us how many lives can be lost and transformed in one instant. 8 of 10 stars.The Hound.

Reader be warned that this could contain a spoiler. As it is based on a true story and all of the information is out there anyway, it is probably not; however, if you do not know the story then stop now. The film We Are Marshall is based on a true story. It is about the 1970 Marshall Football team that died in a plane crash, but it is also about so much more; this is a film is also about overcoming adversity. The film begins with the team and their coach as they lose a game against East Carolina University. After the loss, the team boards the plane to fly back to Huntington WV. Two of the coaches have a discussion about who will stay to do a recruiting visit and who will fly back with the team. Coach Red Dawson (Matthew Fox) ends up staying to do the visit. The plane crash happens very early in the movie because the movie is not really about the plane crash itself, but about what happens after that. Two of the recurring issues throughout the film are grief and survivors guilt. There is grief from the parents of players and families of the coaches and boosters who died in crash. Much of the story is about Annie (Kate Mara) who was the fiancée of the quarterback who died. Coach Dawson and one of the surviving players deal with survivor's guilt because they were both supposed to be on the plane. The university faces the decision of whether to try to field a team for the next season or to indefinitely suspend the program. There is a moving scene where the students of the university make it known to the board of trustees that they want the program to continue. Coach Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey) contacts the university to let them know he is interested in the coaching position. A touching visit between the university president Donald Dedmon (David Strathairn) and the coach ensues. Coach Lengyel ends up leading the team to 2 victories that season. Marshall's football program does survive and thrives in the 1980s. This film is sad early on but develops into a feel-good football movie in the vein of The Blindside or Remember the Titans. One difference between We Are Marshall and those two movies is that they are both about overcoming issues off the field to accomplish great things on the field. This movie is about overcoming issues on the field to help resolve issues off the field. The movie does great at recreating the period and location of 1970's Huntington, WV. There is a scene where Coach Red is working on building a shed. He and coach Lengyel are standing atop the structure and you can get a glimpse of the scenery around them. I have been to the area and it did give the same feeling. Overall, a great movie that tells a story about a university and city that overcame great loss and found their way through the sport of football.