LIKES
Lots of Aspects of His Life -The movie is one of those films that does a great job portraying the complex life of these athletes and what they achieved.
-While it does not touch everything, George's movie is really good about showing so much of what this man did in his time as a boxer.
-Seeing his ups and downs were well paced and planned out, keeping the hard times balanced with the good times without getting too slogged down.
-Seeing how he rose to what he became, why he did it, and the multiple facets of his life, was quite cool and very informative, meaning I learned about the man I thought simply a boxer/grill seller.
-That's one of the strongest aspects of this movie for me and worth a view on its own.
-Yes, there might be some Hollywood bias, but hey, those elements add fun to the movie and a little spice to move me.
Strong Messages -The movie surprisingly has a lot more past just being a sports movie, another surprise.
-Tied in with his life, if not a tad dramatic, the messages are incorporated with his character development and story without sticking too far out like a sore thumb.
-I love the message personally, others may not, but the fact it is so tied to his life and used as means for improving him as a person really helps this movie stand out and feel very good with my journey through this nearly 90 minute time frame.
-And when you have those relatable content, and enjoy the lessons, it added something to me for the movie.
-Again for a character portrayal, those elements really make these movies shine and stand out for me, and I agree with how well they did this.
Some of The Fights -There are moments that this movie feels like those sports dramas and makes an engaging fight.
-These moments pulled me into the entire spectacle, the crowds, the mentality, the fans watching at home, and the fighter itself pulling you into delivering the hammer of the boxing match.
-George Foreman's tale has about two fights that I think are the wow factor for me, maybe three, managing to find that element of movie magic with reality and blend them together to make things the heavyweight punch that I like to see.
-There is a story element to these films I appreciate and find that all the fights do have that story component, but two in particular are the complete package.
The Recreation Of The setting -You know I'm a sucker for making the past come to life in the present if you are going to make the movie about that decade.
-For George Foreman, that aspect is a big check in my book. You are going through the decades and seeing so much of it unfold in the use of several things they chose.
-The costumes to a lot of the lifting, the ever changing fashions, alongside the hair, look and makeup really paving the way to believe that we have taken more steps into the past.
-Next comes the props and the buildings, arranged, designed, or perhaps chosen to look like something you would see from the magazines. All these small devices are, dare I say, seemingly bland, but really add up to the immersion and help keep me believing we are temporarily in that time period again.
-And the camera filters I thought I noticed changed up, which keeps the modern look mostly, but adds these tinges that help further give that pop of the past that I particularly like to see when it comes to use of technology.
Acting is Good -A movie about figures requires people to well, play those characters help us feel like we are living with them in this movie.
-It's not the most mind blowing acting, but it's pretty good with what they achieved and the little groups that formed over the time of the movie.
-Taking the top three actors, we go with Sullivan Jones, playing Ali. I think he got the attitude, the pride, the mouth, and the movements of the legend himself and found that I'm quite impressed of him for the time he is on the screen, (which I would have liked more of).
-Jasmine Mathews comes in about halfway through the movie, and once she is in, is an amazing co-actress that really drives it home and plays well with the character she is plasying. There is sass, passion, and dare I say some blended balance that works to drive the movie, and I really enjoyed her chemistry.
-Of course, Big George is played by Big Khris and I loved what he was able to accomplish in this movie. All facets of the life of Foreman are quite well done by him. Awkward young adults stage, his career, and more are capture pretty well, especially the way he delivers that Foreman manner of speaking, laughing, and just presenting his walk. I was impressed with his skills and chemistry, and is a very major pillar that holds the movie up.
DISLIKES
The Movie Moves Very Quickly -Unfortunately, so many aspects in so little time, means things move very quickly and sometimes lack the full punch.
-Pun aside, the movie covers enough to get the point across, but like Elvis, takes these shortcuts in several montages that do its job, but make the movie feel flat for me.
-Truth, there was a lot to cover, but time management, planning, and even the right medium to tell the tale might have needed more planning before it released.
-Still, the movie has enough of the elements above to mitigate this, some moments getting a proper balance for me that it helps keep things moving and engaging enough.
The Fights Are So-So -The movie again suffers from this inconsistency of magic with reality, making this movie a little tough to wrap my head around in terms of the score to give it.
-You want realism and a movie that captures the nature of the sport? Then I think it works, because Big George Foreman, despite having some fights that dip into the theatrics, sticks to the guns of feeling like I'm watching a match on the set.
-It's got simple punches, a laid out choreography to mimic the match, and little more in terms of gusto for that feel of recreating history.
-However, it lacks finesse and that movie magic like Creed, Warrior, and Rocky missing those elements I love with a good fight movie. Sure the realism is nice, but several things for me needed a little smudging to be the powerhouse I went to see.
-Again, you want the realism, it works, but for those expecting a Creed like battle of the titans, you might want to temper your expectations.
Character Use: -There is a lot of people in George's life, and sadly they did not all get adequate time.
-Big George Foreman is of course about the man, and they accomplish that, but build up for a lot of things in the start sort of petered out and fell to the wayside, conveniently showing up as a plot device later.
-I know you need time, but still so many things kind of fizzed to the wayside for how much they covered, and several arcs I liked were not handled the best in my opinion.
The Preachiness: -A religion movie is tough to get around this, and most of the movie accomplishes this very well.
-There are some asides where it loses that though, and gets a tad sermon like (both intentional and unintentional) to get in the way of the real message that my favorite pastors have done.
-It's kept mostly in check and pulls back in later, but there is a time where it's a bit in your face and slow, so be warned that if you hate hyperaware religious moments this movie may have a trigger for you.
Predictable: -Going in blind was a blessing, because it was a surprise to see most of his life unfold.
-If you've read Wikipedia, or know of his career, then you know the story and what is coming and that will of course take some of the splendor with it.
-Thus, this movie doesn't have the twists for those looking for it, but relies on the respect of the man you are coming to see or a newbie like me.
THE VERDICT:
Big George Foreman is a movie with a lot of potential and mostly good execution in terms of aesthetic, acting, and feel of realistic boxing. The movie marries religion with sports drama well and helps to define a character and his life rather than just the events. For me, it was successful and hits things very well to take me through a summary of his life and giving me these aha moments to the legacy of George Foreman. Yet, the movie is still not the full picture nor I think the full swing that it needed. Again, so much in a short time frame does little to show the true complexity, and the fact that there is this inconsistent use of Hollywood splendor is a bit annoying for fans like me watching. To see the drama of his life turned to cinema levels, while on the fights we get realistic boxing action, is kind of backwards in my book. Throw in character and pacing issues and you have a film that shows potential to be great at home viewing rather than the theater, or even better a mini series of some sort. Still, the story is worth checking out about this man and I kind of think it's worth that if you can make time. My scores for the film are:
Biography/Sports/Drama: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0.
Lots of Aspects of His Life -The movie is one of those films that does a great job portraying the complex life of these athletes and what they achieved.
-While it does not touch everything, George's movie is really good about showing so much of what this man did in his time as a boxer.
-Seeing his ups and downs were well paced and planned out, keeping the hard times balanced with the good times without getting too slogged down.
-Seeing how he rose to what he became, why he did it, and the multiple facets of his life, was quite cool and very informative, meaning I learned about the man I thought simply a boxer/grill seller.
-That's one of the strongest aspects of this movie for me and worth a view on its own.
-Yes, there might be some Hollywood bias, but hey, those elements add fun to the movie and a little spice to move me.
Strong Messages -The movie surprisingly has a lot more past just being a sports movie, another surprise.
-Tied in with his life, if not a tad dramatic, the messages are incorporated with his character development and story without sticking too far out like a sore thumb.
-I love the message personally, others may not, but the fact it is so tied to his life and used as means for improving him as a person really helps this movie stand out and feel very good with my journey through this nearly 90 minute time frame.
-And when you have those relatable content, and enjoy the lessons, it added something to me for the movie.
-Again for a character portrayal, those elements really make these movies shine and stand out for me, and I agree with how well they did this.
Some of The Fights -There are moments that this movie feels like those sports dramas and makes an engaging fight.
-These moments pulled me into the entire spectacle, the crowds, the mentality, the fans watching at home, and the fighter itself pulling you into delivering the hammer of the boxing match.
-George Foreman's tale has about two fights that I think are the wow factor for me, maybe three, managing to find that element of movie magic with reality and blend them together to make things the heavyweight punch that I like to see.
-There is a story element to these films I appreciate and find that all the fights do have that story component, but two in particular are the complete package.
The Recreation Of The setting -You know I'm a sucker for making the past come to life in the present if you are going to make the movie about that decade.
-For George Foreman, that aspect is a big check in my book. You are going through the decades and seeing so much of it unfold in the use of several things they chose.
-The costumes to a lot of the lifting, the ever changing fashions, alongside the hair, look and makeup really paving the way to believe that we have taken more steps into the past.
-Next comes the props and the buildings, arranged, designed, or perhaps chosen to look like something you would see from the magazines. All these small devices are, dare I say, seemingly bland, but really add up to the immersion and help keep me believing we are temporarily in that time period again.
-And the camera filters I thought I noticed changed up, which keeps the modern look mostly, but adds these tinges that help further give that pop of the past that I particularly like to see when it comes to use of technology.
Acting is Good -A movie about figures requires people to well, play those characters help us feel like we are living with them in this movie.
-It's not the most mind blowing acting, but it's pretty good with what they achieved and the little groups that formed over the time of the movie.
-Taking the top three actors, we go with Sullivan Jones, playing Ali. I think he got the attitude, the pride, the mouth, and the movements of the legend himself and found that I'm quite impressed of him for the time he is on the screen, (which I would have liked more of).
-Jasmine Mathews comes in about halfway through the movie, and once she is in, is an amazing co-actress that really drives it home and plays well with the character she is plasying. There is sass, passion, and dare I say some blended balance that works to drive the movie, and I really enjoyed her chemistry.
-Of course, Big George is played by Big Khris and I loved what he was able to accomplish in this movie. All facets of the life of Foreman are quite well done by him. Awkward young adults stage, his career, and more are capture pretty well, especially the way he delivers that Foreman manner of speaking, laughing, and just presenting his walk. I was impressed with his skills and chemistry, and is a very major pillar that holds the movie up.
DISLIKES
The Movie Moves Very Quickly -Unfortunately, so many aspects in so little time, means things move very quickly and sometimes lack the full punch.
-Pun aside, the movie covers enough to get the point across, but like Elvis, takes these shortcuts in several montages that do its job, but make the movie feel flat for me.
-Truth, there was a lot to cover, but time management, planning, and even the right medium to tell the tale might have needed more planning before it released.
-Still, the movie has enough of the elements above to mitigate this, some moments getting a proper balance for me that it helps keep things moving and engaging enough.
The Fights Are So-So -The movie again suffers from this inconsistency of magic with reality, making this movie a little tough to wrap my head around in terms of the score to give it.
-You want realism and a movie that captures the nature of the sport? Then I think it works, because Big George Foreman, despite having some fights that dip into the theatrics, sticks to the guns of feeling like I'm watching a match on the set.
-It's got simple punches, a laid out choreography to mimic the match, and little more in terms of gusto for that feel of recreating history.
-However, it lacks finesse and that movie magic like Creed, Warrior, and Rocky missing those elements I love with a good fight movie. Sure the realism is nice, but several things for me needed a little smudging to be the powerhouse I went to see.
-Again, you want the realism, it works, but for those expecting a Creed like battle of the titans, you might want to temper your expectations.
Character Use: -There is a lot of people in George's life, and sadly they did not all get adequate time.
-Big George Foreman is of course about the man, and they accomplish that, but build up for a lot of things in the start sort of petered out and fell to the wayside, conveniently showing up as a plot device later.
-I know you need time, but still so many things kind of fizzed to the wayside for how much they covered, and several arcs I liked were not handled the best in my opinion.
The Preachiness: -A religion movie is tough to get around this, and most of the movie accomplishes this very well.
-There are some asides where it loses that though, and gets a tad sermon like (both intentional and unintentional) to get in the way of the real message that my favorite pastors have done.
-It's kept mostly in check and pulls back in later, but there is a time where it's a bit in your face and slow, so be warned that if you hate hyperaware religious moments this movie may have a trigger for you.
Predictable: -Going in blind was a blessing, because it was a surprise to see most of his life unfold.
-If you've read Wikipedia, or know of his career, then you know the story and what is coming and that will of course take some of the splendor with it.
-Thus, this movie doesn't have the twists for those looking for it, but relies on the respect of the man you are coming to see or a newbie like me.
THE VERDICT:
Big George Foreman is a movie with a lot of potential and mostly good execution in terms of aesthetic, acting, and feel of realistic boxing. The movie marries religion with sports drama well and helps to define a character and his life rather than just the events. For me, it was successful and hits things very well to take me through a summary of his life and giving me these aha moments to the legacy of George Foreman. Yet, the movie is still not the full picture nor I think the full swing that it needed. Again, so much in a short time frame does little to show the true complexity, and the fact that there is this inconsistent use of Hollywood splendor is a bit annoying for fans like me watching. To see the drama of his life turned to cinema levels, while on the fights we get realistic boxing action, is kind of backwards in my book. Throw in character and pacing issues and you have a film that shows potential to be great at home viewing rather than the theater, or even better a mini series of some sort. Still, the story is worth checking out about this man and I kind of think it's worth that if you can make time. My scores for the film are:
Biography/Sports/Drama: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0.