Movie Review: We Are Marshall by Allison Pelletier January 10, 2007

The movie We Are Marshall, an amazing story of human strength, is a true story based upon a 1970 college football team from Huntington, West Virginia. Suddenly, seventy-five town leaders, players, coaches, team administrators, and students are killed in a devastating plane crash on the way home from an out of state game in North Carolina. When the news hits the town, grief strikes and leaves the town struggling to cope. Grieving families search for hope and strength.
When the school president thinks he should suspend the program, the new football team captain and many other students join together to convince the board to keep the program alive. The school board begins to realize the possibilities of forming a new team so they offer the job to several coaches who one after the other turn down the offer. That’s when a young Coach named Jack Lengyel comes with the ambition to rebuild Marshall’s football program with a high quality new team, and heal the community with determination. Because of his enthusiasm for reconstructing the team, the school and team finally realize the seriousness of Lengyel’s aspirations and comprehend the reality of the situation. That is when players from other sports in the school are drafted and innovation begins.
The storyline is so gripping that it doesn’t need anything but the truth to make it a brilliant film. With its remarkable soundtrack and mind-blowing plot line, it scores big in every way. We Are Marshall, like Rudy, Coach Carter, and Miracle falls under the same underdog overcoming adversity genre. It provides the truth that life can be very cruel, but one’s desire to conquer makes all of the difference. It offers real emotions and the sentiment of never giving up on where you came from and who you are. These beliefs can always help you defeat old feelings, one day at a time.
Make sure you stay until the end of the credits. It’s worth way more then the price of the movie ticket. Official opening day is December 22, 2006