Once Upon a Twilight!: Movie Review: 23 Blast

23 Blast

Release Date: October 24th 2014

Director: Dylan Baker

Writers: Bram Hoover, Toni Hoover

Main Cast: Dylan Baker, Mark Hapka, Bram Hoover, Stephen Lang, Alexa Vega, Kim Zimmer, Max Alder

Genres: Drama | Family | Sports

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for some teen drinking

Distributor: Ocean Avenue Entertainment

Official Sites: IMDb | Website | Facebook | Twitter

Synopsis: When a high school football star is suddenly stricken with irreversible, total blindness, he must decide whether to live a safe, protected life or to summon the courage through playing football to step back into the world. 23 Blast is based on the amazing, true story of Travis Freeman. A typical teenager growing up in a small town in Kentucky, Travis is a local hero on and off the field. In the prime of his youth, he is unexpectedly stricken with an infection that destroys his optic nerve; he becomes blind overnight. Under the influence of parents who love him, a physical therapist who challenges him, a coach who inspires him, and a best friend who he cannot bear to leave behind, Travis shows us what true bravery is by competing on the gridiron, helping his team advance to the State playoffs. We follow Travis and Jerry Baker, his closest friend, from the time they meet on the football field as kids through high school. Jerry’s attraction to the dark side of teenage temptations threatens to pull the friends apart. It is only on the football field where they truly connect.

Blast 23 was a feel good movie that I almost didn’t want to end.

The movie is based on the life of a high school football player who became blind due to a virus. He was determined to live life alone until his friends, coach, and an unlikely person, his therapist. The therapist was amazing. She would push him to be independent and to continue doing everything he had done in the past like; laundry, cleaning his room, picking out his clothes. His coach asked him about rejoining the team and the thought was almost daunting. He finally did it, even with parents and other towns’ people saying that it was a bad idea. The end of the movie was an ending to remember. All of the nay-sayers were shown that anything is possible as long as you have the support of the people around you.

Rachel and I enjoyed this movie thoroughly from start to finish. It's a great movie to see with the family and definitely for that hardcore football fan. The movie has such a strong message that stays with you long after you have seen it which is "never give up". It's not just about the game, it's about the team and the community, because if none of those are behind you, then the team and yourself will fail.

So to see how everyone came together and helped Dylan get back to the one thing they knew he could play with his eyes closed, which is football was just amazing. Just because he did loose his vision doesn't mean his world ended, even though at times he felt that way, but he never let the darkness swallow him.

23 Blast is a feel-good movie with tons of excitement and believable characters that do justice to the real life players that did experience this years ago in their small town. I recommend to everyone to go see it. And its perfect, right in the middle of football season.