Invictus

I thought this movie was going to be similar to other "feel-good" sports movies. Sadly, Invictus is no Rudy, The Natural nor Remember the Titans.

I understand the importance of the events this movie covers. I understand how monumental it was for South Africa to rally behind their rugby team as it wins the World Cup. But I didn't feel any kind of emotional connection with either Morgan Freeman or Matt Damon.

Freeman plays Mandela as he becomes President and attempts to forge forgiveness in his country. Damon plays the team captain of a struggling rugby team.

The two meet up for tea and discuss how important it is that the team wins the World Cup. That's the thrust of the movie. There could have been some monumental scenes dealing with the struggles of racial tension and there are a few moments.

But the characters feel flat. I didn't care if this team did well. I didn't see Damon rally his teammates like he needed to. It felt plain flat.

Then you have the technical aspect of this film. Director Clint Eastwood felt the need to repeatedly show us the size of the World Cup crowd in a CG arena. One or two swooping shots would have been enough. After 5 or 6 times, it begins to feel like a gimmick. I'm not longer impressed with the computer shots.

This movie could have been more inspirational than it ended up being.