Review of The 33 (2015) by Michael1208 — 05 Jan 2016

Based on the true event in 2010, this claustrophobic film about miners who are trapped underground surprisingly starts off straight to the disastrous incident but buried by its own formulaic plot. It offers the same horrific experience just like in "127 hours"; the underpaying jobs and risks faced by the miners, the setting and cultures in Chile, the fear and trapped in the mines, the rally, political plays, media propaganda and the rescue attempts are all included well throughout the story.

However, screenwriters squeeze too much in the film, the background and life events of each characters seems to lose engagement, causing imperfect character developments and less inspiring. Scores from James Horner are trying to remain the tone of the film but it starts to deviate into lighthearted due to unnecessary scenes, making audiences wonder the existence of real tragedy.

However, the film still offers a thrilling climax and satisfyingly ends in a beautiful note even though it should have just focused on the disaster, survival skills and rescue operations.