Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Howard-Longstaff (howardlongstaff) I love the rugby hero. Matt Damon is a marvellous visionary and actor. too bad about the politics infiltrating this.

riley-16856 I had high hopes for this movie, I really did. Morgan Freeman always delivers his lines beautifully, but even he couldn't save this train wreck. The pacing was incredibly slow, with far too much padding. While supposed to be inspiring, it only succeeded in being a stereotypical underdog story with no real backbone and meat to it other than a flimsy plot of restoring the unity of South Africa through rugby. I was ultimately very disappointed with this movie, and although the performances of the actors were on point, the writing and direction left much to be desired.

zkonedog Whenever I see the name "Clint Eastwood" associated with a new moving coming to theaters, I automatically think of such incredible films as Million Dollar Baby, Changeling, and Gran Torino. Perhaps I am just spoiled by Eastwood's spotless track record, but that is the reality of the situation. With that in mind, Invictus does not live up to the billing...but it still is a very honorable effort.Basically, the film takes place primarily in the country of South Africa, where Nelson Mandela (played superbly by Morgan Freeman) has come to power and is striving to bridge the gap between blacks and whites after decades of apartheid rule. Mandela seizes upon the country's terrible rugby team, stocked primarily by high-brow, burly white men, as a symbol of unity for the country. He tabs Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to captain the team and make them respectable (if not a whole lot more) heading into the World Cup. The rest, as they say, is history.Now, I can't say that this film was outright bad in any way. The race-relations message is one that resonates, the rugby team is certainly inspirational, and the acting is pretty good as well, led by the remarkable Freeman as one of the world's most storied leaders. Yet, unlike "Torino" or "Baby", the word I would use to describe this film is "understated". Instead of walloping viewers over the head with such heavy topics as euthanasia, religion, or death, in this effort Eastwood takes a much more low-key approach. There is drama, yes, and plenty of inspiration, but it just doesn't feel as epic as it could have been. Whether this was Eastwood trying to "follow the facts" as much as possible, or the real-life story just not providing the high drama of a fully scripted film, I'm not sure.Thus, if you are heading to the theater expecting utter greatness like I was, you will likely leave disappointed. However, if the topics/events/times in the film are of significant personal or cultural importance to you, then Invictus will automatically garner a five-star rating for its factual portrayal of the events that transpired.

eric262003 Even though he's coming on in age, Clint Eastwood can still dazzle his audience, even when he's behind the camera. For a grizzled veteran, he still manages to come up with good quality pictures, even if not all of them are entirely great. The last really good cinematic masterpiece he truly made before "Invictus" was "Million Dollar Baby". He does have a tendency of over-casting non-performers in his movies like he did in "Gran Torino", even though his intentions were good. But nobody can deny that Eastwood is master in his craft and the productions of his film are taken through heart even if they're not always electrifying. "Invictus" is a very well-made movie based on a true story with touchy subjects and issues that will have you pondering for hours to come. In 1994 three years after South African political activist Nelson Mandela gets released from prison after spending three decades there, he is now the new president of South Africa and his quest to bring unity between the races with the country. When an all Caucasian rugby team who's been struggling for a championship, Mandela decides to step up and fix the team to becoming the best they can be and to erase the divinity within the races in the country. Morgan Freeman was the perfect casting choice as Mandela. He decides that the South African team the Springboks have potential to be championship material and there he meets up with the captain of the rugby team Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon)and felt his first quest was to inject unification among the Springboks as a symbolical way so that the country can have a team to be proud of and the pivotal step to expunge apartheid forever. So we see kind of a two-plot story behind the movie, Invictus". One we have Mandela adjusting his new role as the leader of his country as he's faced with plenty of turmoil that includes outrage, uproarious fear and racism. One pivotal scene was when his all-black security staff was being questioned by the Secret Service guys and later accepted. The other plot is Pienaar's initiative to encourage his rugby team to a winning season while taking part in the activities emanating in the country and trying to come to terms of a nation that's under a political unrest at the time. In one memorable scene Pienaar and his team visit the jail that where Mandela was incarcerated and enter his cell. It was a very subtle moment where the drama in this movie is the most important. The two plots climatically join together as Mandela is seated to see this emotional and very important World Cup of the 1995 Rugby Championships. This final game will not just keep the sports fans enthralled, but the setup is structured beautifully. Eastwood went out of his way to create a country that at the time was struggling with politics and race issues and makes you feel for the people involved in the movie and the World Cup final match is an added bonus to the intriguing scenes depicted in the movie. Though it's a great movie, there are still flaws as well. Unless you know the rules of rugby which a lot of people may not be familiar with (nothing personal) you might be lost in the rules and the way the game is operated. But it wasn't a huge drawback for me, I just wanted to see some good sports. Also there's this rather weird scene in the movie that's supposedly happened in real life, but Eastwood directs it like he's manipulating us into making it feel like a political thriller when it really isn't. But those burps won't spoil my liking for this movie. Even though it's not a perfect film, "Invictus" is still provocative and entertaining and raises a lot of questions and if a movie can generate food for thought, it ranks high in my grading system. It truly has something for those who are enthused by political dramas plus it has something to offer for those who love sports enthusiasts.