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Fresh and Exciting

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Movies can inspire us by introducing us to people who overcome the odds, despite having much bigger problems than we do. Most of these films are based on true stories, and are as real as it gets, but sometimes, no matter how amazing the story, it doesn't necessarily make for the best cinema. 23 Blast is one of those films, as it tells the inspirational true story of Travis Freeman (Mark Hapka), a star High School Football player, on his way to a College scholarship, when a rare illness struck him blind. For many High School students, football is just a means to popularity, but for Travis, football was his whole life. His illness left him devastated and almost killed him, until miraculously, with the help of an unorthodox coach and supportive teammates, Travis was able to play again. The story here is almost unbelievable, and while it would make for a terrific episode of ESPN's 30 for 30, I found it severely lacking in content for a feature film. 23 Blast is the directorial debut of actor, Dylan Baker, and while he does a great job of telling the story and inspiring the audience, there just isn't enough story here to keep people interested for a full ninety minutes. The film focuses a lot on Travis's depression and rehabilitation, while a key component of the story, it also takes up a good majority of the film. If one were to shorten those scenes, there wouldn't be enough for a full length film. As for the young cast, they turned in surprisingly strong performances, in particular Mark Hapka, was excellent, but in the end it all comes down to this. 23 Blast, while inspirational, also moves extremely slowly, as it keeps coming back around to a single focus, Travis's illness. There is no deviation from the main story line, and things continue to go around in circles, until the last half hour or so when they finally get to the point. Basically, I loved the story, Travis Freeman is an inspiration, but the film is a bit of a snooze.

These kind of sports movies are a hit or miss with me (no pun intended) the scripts all tend to be more or less the same, so it all comes down to if the director and cast is able to take it beyond the clichés and make you care for the characters.And 23 BLAST does a pretty good job at that, it does come with a bit of a twist though in as the main football-hero is struck with blindness so I guess that helps to spark a greater interest because it's not exactly a common topic.The cast are all fine, it has a bit of a TV-movie feel to it but overall yeah a good movie that doesn't get too depressing, in fact it made me laugh a couple times so yeah, it's no REMEMBER THE TITANS or BLIND SIDE but it's well worth seeing.

Before I'm called heartless, let me just put out there how I have worked with kids with disabilities. So I understand the need for this type of genre, but I feel like this perpetuates this myth that persons with disabilities are perfect people who don't have sex drives, are super religious/self-righteous, and should always be right.This is wrong. There are many types of truths that give people peace; it makes me sad that the movies who are courageous enough to handle tough topics like theodicy (religious Christian concept: why do bad things happen to good people?) never seem to develop more complex characters.The only character struggles spiritually is Travis's best friend from school. His perspective is tossed aside as misguided; he's painted as a goof and mess-up while he is clearly suffering spiritually. Travis's "spiritual struggle" doesn't feel like much of a struggle at all. In fact, he's put on this pedestal. ("I am Travis Freeman.")Aside from my philosophical issues with this movie, the dialogue was laughably bad."Why am I blind, dad?" "Too much infection.""You're blind, son." "Is this going to last forever?""Travis has a minor infection we are treating with antibiotics." *(Five seconds pass)* "Travis is going in for surgery, now. He's running a 106 degree fever."The only character I liked was the social worker; my two stars are for her. She wasn't preachy and prioritized him taking control over his health as opposed to "finding Jesus." My other star is when Travis' friend takes him for a spin in the hospital; I really enjoyed that part. I feel like that scene encapsulated the little joys we appreciate when disability and serious life suffering enter our lives and the lives of those we love.

23 BLAST is an entertaining and inspiring film for the whole family! I typically find inspired-by- a-true-story films to be more engaging…and 23 BLAST definitely delivers on this front. Travis Freeman's story of overcoming extreme adversity would seem impossible if it weren't true. I loved the inspiring themes of perseverance, friendship, family and faith. They apply well beyond the gridiron that serves as the backdrop for 23 BLAST. The production value is high and the acting is believable and engaging in this film. Mark Hapka delivers an amazingly believable performance as Travis Freeman. Stephen Lang is compelling and inspiring as Coach Freeman. Mark Hapka and Bram Hoover (playing Travis's friend Jerry) have great chemistry together as best friends and deliver well on both the humor and emotional elements. Alexa Vega plays friend Ashley very well, adding a nice emotional and romantic touch that balances out the film. After seeing the film, I've enjoyed learning more about the real Travis Freeman, which adds even more to my experience of the film.