Movie Info:
Writer: Eric Guggenheim
Director: Gavin O’Connor
Cast: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich, Sean McCann, Kenneth Welsh, Eddie Cahill, Patrick O’Brien Demsey, Michael Mantenuto, Nathan West, Kenneth Mitchell, Eric Peter-Kaiser, Bobby Hanson
Rating: PG
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: February 6, 2004
DVD Release Date: June 16, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.99
Miracle was released in 2004 and I am sure I heard something about it at that time, but I effectively managed to block it out. In fact, when they told me I would be receiving this for review, I didn’t even know what this movie was about. I skimmed through the synopsis and waited for it to arrive, assuming that the movie would help me learn all that I needed to know.
I had read enough to learn that the movie was a true story about hockey, though if I hadn’t read anything I could have guessed that by the hockey players on the front of the Blu-ray cover. Being from Michigan, and a die hard Red Wings fan, it’s safe to say that hockey is near and dear to my heart. Still, I don’t watch too many movies about hockey. I don’t even watch that many movies where people ice skate. The only hockey movies that even comes to mind are Mighty Ducks and Youngblood. Though I am sure I have seen more.
Miracle is a true story about a virtually unknown group of college kids that make up the US Olympic hockey team. In a time when America needed it the most, these boys pulled together and dug deep enough to find a way to be winners. The story is filled with that feel good feeling, but it’s got a good amount of drama packed in with it, too.
The acting got the job done, though I cannot help but shake the fact that much of the supporting cast was forgettable. It was almost as if the essence of being a team was so important that no one managed to stand out. The most memorable character was Kurt Russell’s as Herb Brooks. Like the acting, the writing was capable, but I feel that the story suffers from a slight deficit because it’s a true story. You know what’s going to happen before it approaches the ending. The good thing is that there are plenty of other things built-up and drama that occurs leading to the event. In the end, Disney does a nice job and makes a hockey movie that is well worth watching.
The Miracle Plot
Hockey fans can really get into Miracle. The story chronicles the year the 1980 US Olympic Men’s ice hockey team took on the incredibly hard to beat Soviet Union Men’s ice hockey team at the Olympics. Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) is the head coach of the ice hockey team at the University of Minnesota. Herb is interviewed by the United States Olympic Committee. In his interview, he discusses the strategy he would employ to beat the then unbeaten Soviet team.
Herbs plan is to change the practice schedule and adopt a new, more intensive strategy. While the committee isn’t sure that Brooks has the right idea to beat the Soviets, they still decide to hire him. Brooks and his assistant coach, Craig Patrick (Noah Emmerich) hold tryouts in Colorado Springs. There they choose 26 perspective players, narrowing the list down to 20. The senior USOC hockey officials try to make their preferred choices known, but Brooks chooses based on talent.
Brooks talks to the USOC’s executive director, Walter Bush (Sean McCann) about his selections and is able to convince him that he just has the best interest of the team at heart. Bush decides to trust in Brooks and tries to take the pressure of the USOC off of Brooks and the rest of the team. He also says that he will take responsibility for Brooks’ selections in the event he is not successful.
With the team selected, old rivalries, such as the one from college between Rob McClanahan (Nathan West) and Jack O’Callahan (Michael Mantenuto), flair up causing internal conflicts between the players. Brooks, of course, won’t stand for it. The players have to let go of old grudges and work together to make this team work. The team goes through extensive and exhausting practices. They have to work together to get through the practices, and they eventually turn into the team Brooks wants them to be.
When an exhibition game ends in a tie against the Norwegians, he realizes they aren’t quite there. Working them late into the night, he finally gets them to admit they play not for their individual teams, but for the United States. Still, they face a challenge when they play the Soviets in an exhibition game at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Getting trampled by the Soviets just makes the young team want to work harder. The players face a serious injury that may have one player out of the Olympic games and others face the decision of being benched, when it is clear they are not playing to the best of their ability.
With the Olympics starting, it is up to Brooks to inspire the team to play their best. He manages to get them on the road to victory, but with the Soviets so powerful, they are looming in the distance as a silent enemy. The Americans are underdogs in nearly every game they play. As they go from team to team, taking them on it seems like they just might make this happen with a little faith in themselves and the inspiration of their tough yet caring coach.
“Do you believe in miracles?” If you do, this movie might just be for you!
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Acting: 
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Miracle is presented in anamorphic widescreen at a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The screen resolution for this Blu-ray presentation is 1080p. The film holds up rather well in High Definition. It has that entire, 1980s retro feel to it. There is good use of coloration of the film lens giving that yellow and blue tints that make the film look almost vintage. However, this isn’t riddled with the same problems a truly vintage film would have. If there were any visual errors in earlier releases of Miracle they’ve been cleaned up. The picture is about as clear as it gets for a Disney Blu-ray.
The primary audio track for Miracle is English DTS-HD MA 5.1. Everything comes through clearly from the roar of the crowd to the smack of the puck by the hockey sticks. The sound effects make nice use of the back speakers and the dialogue is crisp, easy to understand (every single word) and uses the front of the speakers well. The volume level was consistent. I didn’t need to play with the volume once the movie started, which is always a plus.
There are additional tracks included on this disc. The two tracks are Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French.
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Audio:
Bonus Features:
While there appears to be, at first notice, quite a few bonuses. Most of them appeared on the standard DVD release. It’s pretty much nothing new, though nearly all of them are highly enjoyable and worth watching if you’ve never seen them before. Here is a list of the bonuses included on this DVD and a description for each of them.
Audio Commentary with Director Gavin O’Connor, Director Of Photography Dan Stoloff and Editor John Gilroy: This isn’t the best commentary I have heard, but it does include plenty of tidbits about the production of the film. There is a lot of discussion about what scenes were included and what scenes weren’t. Overall, this might be good for a listen once or twice, but it won’t be anything you’ll want to go back to once you’ve heard it.
“The Making Of Miracle”: This is your standard making of featurette. It comes in at just over 17 minutes in length. This includes information on the production, casting, and other, standard stuff you’d find in a making of. On the whole, this neither stands out nor stinks. It is somewhere in the middle of the road as far as featurettes go.
“From Hockey To Hollywood: The Actors’ Journeys”: If you found interest in the actors, this half hour look at the faces behind those cast as the hockey players will be golden. This discusses how each character was cast, their level of experience when it comes to playing hockey and other interesting facts about them. This was one of the better, more in depth, features.
“The Sound Of Miracle”: This featurette explores the sound effects, score, and other elements of sound design in Miracle. This is rather interesting if you are interested in the technical elements of filmmaking. This feature runs around ten minutes and even takes you through a scene where each individual sound element is added, before getting to see the final product with all sound in tact.
“Miracle ESPN Roundtable With Linda Cohn”: ESPN’s Linda Cohn hosts a round table discussing the movie and that fateful 1980s Olympics. This feature is over 40 minutes in length. It features real life, 1980s Olympics Hockey players Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig and Buzz Schneider. The round table also features Kurt Russell who plays Herb Brooks in Miracle. This makes the entire movie more realistic and is a great look into the minds of the players who actually experienced the Miracle on Ice.
“First Impressions: Herb Brooks With Kurt Russell And The Filmmakers”: Running at a length of over 20 minutes, this is done with a handheld camera and it includes old footage of Herb Brooks. The man discusses his philosophy on the game of hockey, his strategy for playing back in those days, his ability to motivate and encourage players and what coaching hockey was like in the late 70s and early 80s. This is not a high quality piece, but is certainly one of the more engaging features that is offered.
“Outtakes”: This is fairly self-explanatory. This is your standard gag reel coming in at around five minutes in length.
Finally, Miracle is D-Box enabled.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Hockey fans will enjoy Miracle. This is one of those movies that you might not want to purchase, but that you will watch if it’s on. I know how that is how it is with me. I highly recommend renting this as it is worth seeing at least once. It is an excellent story and certainly one worth telling. While it’s not the best movie in the sports genre, many of the flaws are forgivable. Watch this one first and then decide on whether or not you want to own it.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: DVD Review, Miracle, Disney, US Hockey, Olympics, 1980, U.S. Hockey Champions, Olympics Hockey, Herb Brooks, Inspiration, Sports, Family, Feel Good Movie
Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
