Invictus - Review

Invictus is a movie about the story of how one man's stand against injustice and hatred and a rugby world championship against all odds brought a nation together and started the healing process of a nation torn asunder by apartheid.

The movie is what you would expect - the South African Rugby team wins the world cup. But you knew that going into the movie. What you may not have known is the political atmosphere and the incredible challenge Nelson Mandela faced when he became the first black president in South Africa.

I spent some time in South Africa as a college student while Mandela was being held in jail. Words alone cannot explain the incredible injustice of the apartheid system and how it dehumanized the coloreds and the blacks. When I came back from South Africa, I was convinced that there would be a bloody civil war because of the tension between the whites and the blacks.

No other man had a greater impact for the peaceful transition of white South Africa to a multi-cultural South Africa than Nelson Mandela. The debate is still on about his effectiveness as a politician, but no one can doubt that he was exactly the right man to transition South Africa out of apartheid. No other man could have done what he did.

The movie only shows a glimpse of that incredible story. That doesn't mean this is a bad movie. It's just you cannot tell that big of a story in a movie. The movie is entertaining - although it does take a while to develop the story in the beginning. Although I am a big sports fan, because I don't know much about rugby, the many rugby clips didn't do much for me.  I just love the story.

The only thing I did not like was Morgan Freeman's attempt at a South African accent. I thought Matt Damon's accent wasn't bad, but did not care for Morgan Freeman's.

I still would give this movie a 2.5-3 stars out of five. It's well worth your money and time just to get familiar with the story of Mandela and South Africa. But more for the power of forgiveness and hope.