Ice Castles

As part of the generation of the original, and not a fan of remakes or reboots, I was surprised at the beauty the film offered, both cinematically and the athletics. I was impressed by Taylor Firth's first film performance, but wish they hadn't reduced the part of her father and aunt, as they were key figures in her backstory. She managed to carry the film anyway, despite my desire to see the Holly-Johnson cameo. The best touch here was preserving the music from the original.

An ice skating romance from 1978 starring Lynn-Holly Johnson (in her film debut) & Robby Benson. Johnson is the toast of this small town as her skating prowess begs that she compete which she does wowing the crowd at the regionals & gaining the attention of a high profile instructor. Her hometown coach, played by Colleen Dewhurst, & her dad, Tom Skerritt, both push her towards that direction when she seems reluctant which reaps big rewards (in terms of attention since her new coach has enlisted the help of a newsman to do a series of profiles on her) as she unnerves the reigning champion on the ice. However when things are going her way, a freak accident (she trips over some cables while skating at night causing her to sustain a concussion which causes partial blindness) which sends her home in a funk ready to give up everything but when Benson reenters the picture (he's going through his own sports pains as he tries to get a hockey career going), he pushes her to forego her sight impediment to show the world she still has the goods. Not aging particularly well, this variation on the Rocky formula suffers from plot conventions which even when this film was made was feeling a bit long in the tooth w/every authority figure taking their turns to berate poor Johnson whenever her eyes would well up after a disappointment. Johnson, who did her own skating (a talent used again in the James Bond adventure For Your Eyes Only from 1981), is good for the type of role she's playing but one feels she's merely playing the colors of a part which are of the 'paint by numbers' variety. Benson is his usual wide eyed, innocent self (he was quite the movie star during the 70's & early 80's but most people will know him as the voice of Beast from Disney's Beauty & the Beast animated feature) who does what he can in a role which in retrospect feels specious & undetermined. This film would get a remake in 2010.

What makes a great movie? To me, that question is answered on many levels. The first, most crucial, to me, is does the movie uplift and motivate me to examine parts of my life that may need improvement. Movies and movie roles are captivating if the character has strengths that the audience can examine through one's own personal lens. This movie meets that criteria. It is very touching. I personally loved the cinematography, especially the views of the Iowa landscape and the figure skating. Beautiful makeup and costumes on the star for competition (I was reminded of The Black Swan.) No villains in this story and a very appropriate relationship between the two young sweethearts for a young audience (applause, applause), with the added feature of "something to aspire to," in terms of personal growth and challenge. No inappropriate sexuality. All around a fine movie to enjoy with a young daughter on a weekend.

Watched this movie last night and was fairly disappointed. You would think that a remake should be better than the original. It lacked the intensity of the original and was quite dry in some parts. The main character "Alexis" played by Taylor Firth was well done, and possibly the only well played character in the whole of the 2010 Ice Castles movie. However Lynn-Holly Johnson from the original is AMAZING in the role of "Alexis" and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in this movie. All I can say is that if you enjoyed this remake, you will absolutely love the 1978 original Ice Castles. Yes it is a little out dated, but it is a wonderful movie and so much better than this one. My friends and I don't usually agree on movies, however we all agree that the 1978 version is sooo much better and we weren't even born when this movie came out. It is also a lot more believable than this 2010 version of Ice Castles. However a warning to parents out there, whilst this is still a great movie for the family, the kissing in the original is quite passionate and the little ones might say "Yuck!". Actually the feeling throughout the whole movie is raw and real. Please, go watch the original, this movie is a shadow of the original.

Who cannot love a character lifting herself out of adversity? These movies uplift the viewer to make more of their own lives and uplift others. That is this movie. The characters are believable. Even the momentary appearance of Michelle Kwon, as a sports newscaster is believable. The father is believable. The boyfriend is believable. Even the coaches are believable. There is not a conniving script line. Good writing, I'd say. Good directing I'd say also. So, if you want an evening of good enjoyment with your sweetie, this is one movie you need to watch. Did I say that this was good casting? Did I mention that there was good acting?