If you are a sports lover, a hickey lover to be specific, this one will catch your attention instantly. Miracle: The Boys of '80 explores the moments of the United States Olympic team’s upset over the (then) Soviet Union during the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. This was one of the most nail-biting matches the world ever saw, and the score of 4-3 made it even more unforgettable. With unpredictability at its peak during the match, it was very difficult to understand who would win the match, given the neck-to-neck score between the two teams from the two most powerful nations in the world. Most thought it would be the Soviets who would bag the gold again, given their performance in the previous games. But that is where the United States proved the entire world wrong with its stunning performance. Such is the beauty of the game- you never know when the odds come in your favor. Another reason for everything to think in the Soviets’ favor is that the American team was filled with youthful players who weren’t as experienced as the team members on the Soviet team. They were coached by Herb Brooks. In every sense, only a miracle could have saved them, and it did happen.
The original players, Jim Craig, Mike Eruzione, Mark Johnson, and all those who are alive come forward to tell us their ordeals and what led them to the victory. It's their versions that make the documentary worth watching. We get to hear straight from the horse’s mouth what exactly happened and how. That dive into the whys and the hows is very crucial to understand the strategy applied by the United States teams in order to win against a superior team. The best thing is that the makers let the “boys” speak for themselves. That authenticity is what makes the whole documentary very interesting.
Other than that, their voices are supported by archived footage as well as videos, clippings, and pictures. This helps us to better understand how the whole event unfolded in front of the world. The entire atmosphere is recreated scene by scene. This gives us a taste of the anticipation with which the whole must have watched the match back in the eighties.
What works best in favor of the documentary is how well the events have been covered and also how well they have presented to us. It feels as if this has happened just a couple of years ago. The documentary is evenly paced, and this helps us grasp whatever is happening. That is crucial given how many facts are involved in the events.
So all in all, even if you aren’t someone who is deeply involved in hockey or sports, you can still watch it as an ode to history and to know what happened in the 1980 Olympics. For sure, you will learn a lot, and you won't be left disappointed.
Final Score- [8/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times