Schumacher

A documentary on seven-times Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher. Through race footage and interviews with teammates, rivals, friends, family and himself we see his history and get a picture of a man who dominated the sport of motor racing.

An interesting documentary on a man who is synonymous with Formula 1 and is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, F1 driver of all time. Shows well his history, his humble beginnings, how his experience as a child racing go-karts shaped him into the champion driver he would become, his ups and downs. The struggle years with Ferrari, the first few years he was there, are covered quite extensively and show his perseverance and the rewards for it.

I could have done with more details of the races and championships though. Through narrowly focusing on Schumacher you miss out on the broader F1 history. On several occasions I had to reach for my phone and look up how a championship season ended and who won. Even in individual races the film just concentrates on a controversial Schumacher incident and then just leaves it at that, rather than tells us how the race ended.

This also extends to Schumacher's golden period, 2000-2004, where, other the 2000 win, nothing much is said about the other four years. After showing us in grim detail the struggles of the early Ferrari years the producers could at least have allowed us to enjoy the pinnacle of his career. Once again I had to look up the details myself.

Through interviews with his wife and children we also get to learn more about his private life. This is reasonably interesting and shows another side to Schumacher. However, this aspect is overdone, overly sentimental and starts to feel like a promotion.

The lack of detail mentioned before then carries through to the conclusion. The skiing incident and aftermath is told in very cryptic terms. No details of what happened, no details of how he is now. It feels quite empty and once again the producers turn to sentimental interviews, rather than details, to fill in the space.

Overall it's still quite interesting and does give you a decent picture of the man, his personality, history and achievements but falls short of being comprehensive or brilliant.

I won't say much, the film reminded me why we still miss this guy. He's one of those few chosen ones who are legends on their field and for a good reason.

This is a beautiful tribute to him and I wish for his family to remain as beautiful as I saw them, united and proud. He built a strong, protective shield through out the years, one which he now needs the most. I hope for his recovery, to never see Corinnas tears on her face, or his childrens' sad eyes ever again.

A wonderfully inspiring sports documentary that focuses on the racing legend's iconic rise, Schumacher is a shining example of the good stuff that Netflix is capable of producing. The documentary really humanizes the larger-than-life Schumacher - as a friend, a colleague, a family member, and an excellent racecar driver - all perspectives well-rooted and covered in equal measure. Even his competent peers only had the greatest things to say about him. The makers thankfully do not relegate it to a sheer puff-piece by also showcasing Schumacher's vulnerabilities and struggles before he became 7-time World Champion. It also doesn't resort to excessive melodrama and focuses less on the accident that rendered him catatonic. Private matters stay strictly private. It's a competently made tribute piece that mires millennials in beautiful nostalgia.

Is 1h 52m enough to cover Schumacher's life? Not at all. Is it still worth a watch? Definitely.

I admit I am a Michael Schumacher fan. I didn't expect to be quite as moved by this as I was, what shines through is a real love story between Michael and Corinna, every shot and every picture tells that story. It underlined his career at every turn and every moment of his success.

It is biased to the extent that it skims across his on track antics at the height of his career, but this isn't really a movie about that. It's a movie about passion, never giving up and also being humbled by life and acceptance of change.

The star is really Corinna, the last interview section is from the heart and for those of us who grew up idolising the sporting hero we can only be happy that he has such a proud, protective and loving champion in her. Yes he had luck on the track as well as historic skill, but this movie makes you think that his marriage was the real luck and the real achievement and that carries on to this day.

Keep believing MS.

If you want to experience schumacher evolution from promising upstart to unbeatable winning machine from a more human perspective, go watch right now. Mind you that it's not perfect there are few shortcomings but you will not be disappointed.