Metegol

Oscar winner, Campanella has do it again.

Metegol (or Underdogs in the English version )is a technical achievement rarely seen outside USA. The first 3D animated movie produced in Argentina, has a technical quality (animation and images ) that easily compare and many time surpasses far more expensive PIXAR projects. Some scenes, like the soccer match, the chase in the dump and in the amusement park that are simply outstanding and pure fun.

In terms of story and characters; the movie is simple but effective.

Instead of the boring poetry and sadness PIXAR infuses in all its animations Campanella went for simple message ( never surrender, fight for what is yours ) with more complex morals for grown-ups ( life is more than games, without the other team there is no match) so kids and adults enjoy the movie.

Sadly that did not happened when I took my 5 year old daughter and her cousin to Monsters U, Cars 2 or even The LEGO movie; after the first half all they wanted was to leave or see something else; not a good sign for a kid's movie.

In brief; this a fresh movie on a subject like soccer that basically interest about 80% of the people on the world. I am not on that percentage but even the game scenes are so amazing you get hook up.

I took a chance with a seed of doubt given that all the posted reviews appeared to originate from the same country of movie's origin. Being both a soccer and animation fan I was hopeful that was written was somewhat truthful.

It's a story with a life lesson that as a coach I teach my players each year: everyone has something to contribute and it is the will and determination within you and your team, that can make all things possible on or off the field.

Let there be no doubt... this movie ROCKS! A funny, action packed, highly entertaining movie with an incredible rendering of visuals that will leave you rewinding scenes over and over again. The teardrop scene, if you look closely, was absolutely stunning in so many ways.

All soccer scenes, both on the foosball table and on the field, were meticulously drawn up with such creativity that only a true soccer aficionado could imagine. For the soccer field scenes, the footwork was so realistic that you can tell they researched and replicated the best players in the world.

Disregard the naysayers, this movie is of 100% 'Toy Story' quality both in terms of story and production. Watch it with your kids and enjoy the ride.

Gooolaaaasssoooo!

It was an amazing experience I didn't surpass in years. This great film is not perfect but it is brilliantly made, incredibly animated and brings a lot of fun in every single minute. The story is a simple one, we watched in lot of movies before. But it touches you in the heart, as it does every time you see common, weak people fight to the powerful ones, just armed with passion, dedication and deliver; the kind of sensations you feel in Rocky I, Real Steel, The Boxer or much other films. Besides, it is equipped with small, funny references here and there, as the Major flying out in a helicopter, like in the 2001 Argentinean crisis. If you liked Cars, Toy Story, Monsters Inc, etc you cannot lose this masterpiece.

In a small town, the local pub is everyone's meeting point and for a young boy the plastic football game is his whole world. As with all boys, he had to deal with bullies and in a heated exchange he defeated the town's bully who swore to avenge this.

With the passing of time, the town's bully became rich and famous but the bitterness never subsided so he plans to take over this little town and destroy the pub in which he as defeated by what he considered a nobody. The boy who defeated him, is not prepared to sit and take it but will fight to the end to protect his home town.

On the whole, the story had cracks and was uninteresting so one ought not expect lots of excitement. The only compensation came from the good animation with a sense of seeing the world through the eyes of a young idealistic person.

(No spoilers ahead)

Kids who watch violent movies will enjoy this. It has a few original ideas that can be entertaining for adults as well. However, the interactions between characters are very much put-down based and some other interactions are borderline for what I'd like my kids to see. A pretty disturbing scene is how the bad guy treats the female interest or another scene where rats are introduced as a menacing creature. There were some lovely efforts to create a structured flowing story with some points of emphasis about friendship and sportsman-like behavior. In short, production value is wonderful and if your kids watch ninja turtle style stuff, I'm sure they'd love this one. 8/10 for those kids. 6/10 for everyone else.