Invictus is a movie about two different dreams, which come from two different men, who live in two different worlds that unite one nation. It is a story about hope, challenge and accomplishing the impossible. It is a movie about history, the impossible and rugby, and it is now available on Blu-ray!
Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela, the newly elected president of a segregated South Africa in 1994. After 400 years of a suffering country, Mandela has the dream of uniting the nation. The answer comes to him in an unlikely place: a rugby match. After going to a game, Mandela meets with Francois Pienaar, played by Matt Damon. Pienaar is the captain of the Springbroks, the South African losing rugby team selected for the world cup. Mandela tells Pienaar that he needs to inspire his team to do better, and to give them a dream: to win the rugby world cup hosted in South Africa the next year.
Clint Eastwood creates another masterpiece with this movie. It is inspiring the way he captured the good, the moving and the hope of this story. The way Clint Eastwood told the story was effortless, capturing the beauty of a sport that it is anything but. The way he went about the segregation issues by making it have a side, where there is no violence except on the field, teaches us that violence doesn’t have to be present to know it's happening. Freeman’s portrayal of Nelson Mandela was perfect. The way he captured his essence to the smile, the mannerism, even the way he walked was incredible. And Matt Damon’s representation of Pienaar was flawless. I loved the story, the way it was told, directed and cast. Clint Eastwood did a wonderful job with this film.
The special features on this Blu-ray are very unique. The high definition video makes the sports scenes very real, allowing you feel like you are watching a real rugby game. This Blu-ray also comes out as we celebrate the 35 years of Clint Eastwood’s career, so it includes The Eastwood Factor, a look back on his career. The Blu-ray also contains "Mandela meets Morgan", a feature of Morgan Freeman meeting the incredible legendary world leader, as he prepares to capture him for the film. It is over 26 minutes long, but is well recommended for history buffs. Instead of having a voice over, like older DVDs do, it has a picture-in-picture commentary with director, writer and actors, allowing the movie to continue in the background. They talk about why this movie was personal, what attracted them to it and why was it so important to do it the way they did. Other features include "Matt Damon Plays Rugby", a personal look in the life of Matt Damon, and the Invictus music trailer, a look into the music of this movie.
It is a great movie to watch on Blu-ray. The special features make it a very unique film with its guest stars. All in all, the movie is inspiring, greatly directed and written and a different view of a country that has always had a negative connotation. The acting is superb, and the action scenes are amaizing.
ComicsOnline gives Invictus 4 goals out of 5.
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