Goal 2: La consécration

Although I was biased towards the first movie as I am a Newcastle United fan, I felt let down by Goal! 2, not just that Munez had the audacity to leave the Toon for Real Madrid, but due to the poor direction, plot and screenplay of the sequel.

The first movie, although far from perfect, had its moments, a lively screenplay, absorbing direction and a fairly tidy plot, Goal!2 on the other hand, was found wanting in all of these areas.

The plot felt far-fetched and desperate, and the cinematography amateurish, I found the film entertaining but not absorbing, I'm sure I will watch Goal! 3 pure for a sense of personal closure rather than because of excited anticipation.

I found Goal 2 Living the Dream a wonderful sequel to Goal. A lot of people have bagged this film saying its too predictable. Hey its not an Oscar movie but hey do you want them all the time.

Goal 2 follows Santiago Munez through the next phase of his soccer career and all the same characters are back. I loved it.

The football scenes are awesome you really believe that the players are playing in front of huge crowds and the storyline is very engaging.

There is a lot of drama in this movie so its not all football scenes but this to me add to the worth of this film. I enjoyed every minute of it and got goose bumps as it really immerses you in the life of a multi million dollar footballer. I cant wait to see Goal 3

What makes football great is that it is a game of opinions. It is obvious from reading some of the postings on here that some people have judged the film on whether or not they like David Beckham. Yes, he does appear in the film, but then so do a lot of the other players. Like it or not David Beckham is one of the most bankable stars in football, so it inevitable. Lets face it anyone from Arsenal (as one of the postings is from) is not going to be a Beckham fan. Anyway, as for the film, I think the makers of the film are so intent on steering the film away from the predictability of most sports films, ie player/team starts off badly, then ends up winning an hour and a half later (well you all know what happens) that it leaves out any real moments of drama or tension. What we have left is a bit of footballers soap opera. Saying that though, I thought it was good entertainment.

Not a classic by any means, but at least, in comparison to the first one (Goal!), a more accomplished film.

The game scenes were not as contrived as in the first movie, hardly surprising since some of the clips were straight off real matches.

Becker did not look out of his depth in the company of the likes of Zidane, Roberto Carlos and David Beckham -- as long as he did not have the ball, that is. In a dressing room scene inside the Bernabeu, for instance, Becker's time on the ball in a jolly juggling scene was thankfully limited to one touch.

I guess it's too much to ask for an actor who had real football skills, and I guess that realization kept the cameras more focused on the 'real' football players in game situations. This added more to a sense of realism, as compared to the first movie when Becker was scene doing all sorts of fantastic things -- corny to a trained eye.

This movie's real merit comes from the way it handled the human element: Santi's head getting a tad too big from all the media attention and from being in the company of Real Madrid's galacticos; the lover's tiff with Roz, doubtless echoed in many a professional football player's life; and the surprise of finding he has a half-brother living in Spain along with the painful reunion with a long-lost Mother.

Dramatic without going overboard, and without losing touch with the primary plot that this is a professional footballer's story.

I watched the first instalment of this and after giving it a moderate rating (see my review) I thought this was worth a look.

I never had too many expectations for this film, having been put firmly on my guard after the non-events of the first and watching it with this attitude made me appreciate and enjoy this film more.

What can I say? Basically it just follows the pleasures, the trials and the tribulations involved in the life of a professional footballer who has just hit the big time after signing for the greatest football team in the world.

The story was very predictable but the football action scenes were excellent with appearances from the likes of greats such as Beckham, Zidane, Raul and Ronaldinho. Reuteur Haur took a good part as the team coach.

As usual the incredibly sexy and gorgeous Anna Friel provided the eye candy - especially in the bedroom scene wearing the frilly knickers (calm down lads), with parts of the film focusing on the emotional conflicts involved with her job as a nurse at Newcastle hospital.

Nothing too major happens but the film is enjoyable if looked upon as an accurate insight into the life of a professional footballer. All in all I would say this film was slightly better than the first, simply for the glut of football stars on view and the amount of on-field action.

This film should appeal to the football fan and non-fan alike - a good movie to snuggle down on the sofa with your beloved whilst cracking a few beers and the popcorn.

Goal 3 perhaps? Who knows?