The storyline is based on the true story of a group of 6 primary school boys from the small FELDA town - Gemencheh (Negeri Sembilan) - who were transformed into a great team, and made it to win the first gold medal in a cricket game for Malaysia. Apparently, this plot is very predictable, just like any sports competition-related movies, but there is always a market for this kind of movies!
The pace is alright, slow at times, but overall it is acceptable.
It is always good to let all Malaysians be aware of the unknown hero - Cikgu Azman - behind the hard work & success of our athletes' achievements! I enjoyed watching the movie very much, apart from some pitfalls. The kids acted well on the real characteristics of "Kampung boys", e.g. Skipping classes, swimming in the river, playing slipper games, marbles, kites and so on!
However, it leaves room for improvement on the following parts:
Firstly, cricket is not a well-known game to all Malaysians. It would be wonderful if the director could spend a minute or two explaining the rules of the game! Without having much knowledge about it, I need to guess & learn to know how the game is played and points are scored?!
Secondly, the character development of the boys is lacking in depth. We do see that each boy has a family concern, e.g. With a handicapped mother or from a poor family background.. However, it's not well-developed, or it is rather touch-n-go that audiences could hardly connect with them or feel them deeply. It thus lacks the emotional engagement that touches one's heart or keeps lingering in one's heart after the movie!
Thirdly, the moment of winning the game is NOT well managed or presented! There is no moment of excitement built on the score or game point! At times, I wonder if the boys got a point? Won the game? I m lost!!
Finally, some scenes seem 'choppy' or 'disjointed' and leave doubts. For instance, out of nowhere, a school meeting appeared, blaming Azman for raising funds in the public; the boy with a disabled mother was initially not allowed to go to KL, but it didn't address how he made it to go! Besides, I wonder why Cikgu Azman banned him from playing in the final until the end?!
In comparison, "Ola-Bola" (2016) and "Anak Rimau" (2022) appear to have done a better job in all the above aspects, e.g. Character developments are good, tensions are there, emotional engagement is intact...
It's just an alright and predictable movie, without anything new or special. How I wish the movie could be made more involving and engaging to touch more hearts!
The pace is alright, slow at times, but overall it is acceptable.
It is always good to let all Malaysians be aware of the unknown hero - Cikgu Azman - behind the hard work & success of our athletes' achievements! I enjoyed watching the movie very much, apart from some pitfalls. The kids acted well on the real characteristics of "Kampung boys", e.g. Skipping classes, swimming in the river, playing slipper games, marbles, kites and so on!
However, it leaves room for improvement on the following parts:
Firstly, cricket is not a well-known game to all Malaysians. It would be wonderful if the director could spend a minute or two explaining the rules of the game! Without having much knowledge about it, I need to guess & learn to know how the game is played and points are scored?!
Secondly, the character development of the boys is lacking in depth. We do see that each boy has a family concern, e.g. With a handicapped mother or from a poor family background.. However, it's not well-developed, or it is rather touch-n-go that audiences could hardly connect with them or feel them deeply. It thus lacks the emotional engagement that touches one's heart or keeps lingering in one's heart after the movie!
Thirdly, the moment of winning the game is NOT well managed or presented! There is no moment of excitement built on the score or game point! At times, I wonder if the boys got a point? Won the game? I m lost!!
Finally, some scenes seem 'choppy' or 'disjointed' and leave doubts. For instance, out of nowhere, a school meeting appeared, blaming Azman for raising funds in the public; the boy with a disabled mother was initially not allowed to go to KL, but it didn't address how he made it to go! Besides, I wonder why Cikgu Azman banned him from playing in the final until the end?!
In comparison, "Ola-Bola" (2016) and "Anak Rimau" (2022) appear to have done a better job in all the above aspects, e.g. Character developments are good, tensions are there, emotional engagement is intact...
It's just an alright and predictable movie, without anything new or special. How I wish the movie could be made more involving and engaging to touch more hearts!