Unstoppable: Movie Review

Cast: Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale, Don Cheadle, Michael Pena
Director: William Goldenberg

Rocking as many sporting cliches as is humanly possible, the inspiring true story of the struggle of one-legged wrestler Anthony Robles hits every note it's expected to in its telling.

Spider-Man's Miles Morales Jharrel Jerome plays Anthony Robles, a successful high-school wrestler who wants to up his game for college. But unable to get into programmes and belittled for his disability, Robles has to face his own demons as well as the perceptions of others and problems at home with an abusive father (Cannavale).

To call Unstoppable genial is to sound like it's damning it with feint praise.

But with sporting and training montages playing out against the background of inspiring music, director William Goldenberg does little with the formula to ensure things are different.

Fortunately, Goldenberg's blessed with a lead who carries both the charisma and the screen presence to allow you to go on this familiar formulaic ride and not become weary with its obvious story beats.

Equally, Lopez as Anthony's mother Judy feels like the kind of role she's played before and excelled it. Here, she makes Judy relatable and grounded and the script's sincerity with the story helps her to deliver a solid performance throughout.

Solid but not spectacular, watchable but never unmissable, Unstoppable inspires when it should but never quite hits the consistent highs throughout that would be expected to be sensationally uplifting.