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The Unbeatables
| Released |
8 August 2014 |
| Director |
José Campanella |
Starring
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Rupert Grint, Anthony Head, Ralf Little, Rob Brydon, Peter Serafinowicz, Alistair McGowan, David Schneider |
Writer(s)
|
Michael Broadbridge, José Campanella, Gaston Gorali, Eduardo Sacheri |
Producer(s)
|
Mercedes Gamero, Gaston Gorali, Mikel Lejarza, Jorge Estrada Mora, Manuel Polanco |
Origin
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Argentina, Spain, India, United States |
| Running Time |
106 minutes |
| Genre |
Animation, adventure |
| Rating |
G |
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A game of two halves.
The World Cup may have hung up its boots but for anyone feeling the pangs of withdrawal there’s some footie related animation to be taken in at the local cinema. The Unbeatables is an Argentinean film from Juan José Campanella, director of the Oscar winning thriller The Secret in Their Eyes. Here Campanella proves he’s nothing if not versatile as he swaps unsolved murder and dark secrets for magical talking Foosball players and jokes about Eric Cantona.
The film centres on Amadeo (voiced by Rupert Grint), a timid, weedy kid who obsessively plays table football at the local cafe. When local bully Flash (Anthony Head) challenges him to a game, Amadeo beats the odds and his own nervous nature to give him a sound trashing, much to the delight of the cafe regulars. Fast forward to years later and the grown-up Amadeo is still at the same table, while Flash is now an international soccer star. Flash returns to his hometown to demolish it and erect the world’s biggest stadium. As Amadeo begins to lose hope, his beloved Foosball team come to life to help him save the village.
If you’re a football fan there is a lot to like about The Unbeatables. The film begins with a rather neat joke based on the opening of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and continues to provoke chuckles with its witty script and recognisable football stereotypes. The British voice cast was chosen with comedy in mind and includes Rob Brydon, Peter Serafinowicz, Alistair MacGowan and David Schneider, all of whom clearly delight in bringing their metal characters to life. The animation is beautiful rendered, with wonderful location detail and character design. However, if the football jokes go over your head, you may find your interest begins to wane thanks to the unoriginal storyline which trundles down that well worn path of the underdogs inevitably ending up on top.
This weakness in the storytelling means that The Unbeatables doesn’t quite live up to the potential set by its cast and animation. Still, football fans will surely find a great deal of pleasure in seeing the beautiful game tackled on the big screen.
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Linda O’Brien |
