Movie Review: Concussion
Updated: May 27, 2019
It is one thing to complain about how brutal and violent the sport of football is. It is another to lay siege against the National Football League. Based on a true Story, Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, who brings CTE(sports-related brain trauma) to light. Even under such scrutiny and adversity. I found it very interesting that only a few weeks ago I watched the 1999 smash hit, Any Given Sunday recently which dealt with a form of CTE.
As per Rotten Tomatoes: This dramatic thriller is based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a sports-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu's emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful - and beloved - institutions in the world.
Rotten Tomatoes: 6.2/10 IMDB rating: 7/10 Metracritic: 55/100
Critics Consensus: Concussion lands a solid, well-acted hit on its impressively timely subject matter, even if its traditional sports drama structure is a little too safe to deserve a full-on dance in the end zone.
Will Smith is quite the character. We can all agree to that. He is known to rise to try new things and big challenges. And Concussion was just that. This film is still under a lot of controversy from the NFL as they did not want it released. Well, of course they wouldn't. It exposed how poorly they handled CTE with their deaths. In this film, it illustrates many deaths of CTE in pittsburgh alone, that the NFL simply disregarded. Mainly due to the fear of losing potential NFL players or even lawsuits that would arise out of it.
This is an excellent film that really shows the class david vs goliath battle. You have a Doctor who it simply trying to bring to light a deadly Brain condition that could possibly save lives and the NFL is trying to squash him from doing so as it would expose their involvement. The film was very informative and interesting as you watched multiple Pittsburgh players lose their lives due to CTE and how Dr. Bennett was getting steps closer to hopefully bringing this too late further life lost.
This was excellent film but due to the NFL’s involvement and bad press, it has only made 10.5 million since opening on Xmas day. And I sure being being stuck under the huge box office shadow of Star Wars, it probably will not make that much money. But if you have an opportunity to see this film, I would ensure you do!
4/5