Chariots of Fire

An inspiring historic sports tale. The runners are carried by the epic music of Vangelis.

The true story of British athletes

It's not bad but it is forgettable. The most memorable part was the opening song, which I had no idea it came from this.

This is not a picture about the love for sports or running in particular (running in rather laughabe slo-mo one might add). This movie aspires to be more than the usual sports movie though by discussing issues like class, antisemitism, chivalry, friendship, faith. This is all quite superficial though and won't be remembered. Primarily this is a movie that celebrates upper class Britishness. Jingoism, chivalry, patriotism, RP (or the occasional Scottish English if that's necessary to impress the local townfolk), tweed suits, affluent families, politeness and good manners. I totally can't relate and see nothing great about such a society. It makes me outright angry tbh. I totally don't care whether they win a gold medal or not. I'm not inspired to follow in their steps at all. I'm inspired to support a British Republican Party. Plus, it's boring most of the time (this isn't always an indication of a bad movie but it doesn't help).

Like the synth music though. Like some of the historical aspects though. Like the US tracksuits. Like the old university buildings.

PS: How long did it take them to cross the Channel? Isn't that like a 2 hrs max trip?

It's kind of fitting to watch a movie during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris about the games that took place 100 years earlier in the same place. It's just a shame that "Chariots of Fire" is pretty boring. I really have no idea how the movie managed to win several Oscars, because apart from the great score, it doesn't have much to offer. Above all, I missed a sense of action in the running sequences. A lot happens in slow motion, so the feeling of speed is completely lost. The story is also a bit too cheesy for my taste and rather old-fashioned. At least the acting is decent, but that can't hide the fact that the characters remain pale. The finale, in which the actual Olympic Games are shown, is at least a small highlight, but the prelude is altogether too boring to save the movie.

Chariots of Fire was a really good film, and even though I already knew about the events, it was still a nice watch and a well-done historical drama. Apparently the sister's disapproval of Liddell's running was artistic license which just makes it seem even more dumb than it did while watching it but oh well. The running technique was terrible at the beginning but it improved a lot after they got more training so I guess that was intentional.

wish sports many movies are made on sports stars along with others like such movies also.