Rollie Nichols
Staff Writer
In a well told story and with an original plot, “23 Blast” runs deep with heart-wrenching emotions.
Travis Freeman, a high-school football player loses his sight, but not his spot on the team in this true story based new film called “23 Blast”.
“23 Blast” blends religion and sports in a dramatic movie that captivates emotions. The new sports-drama sets a depressing yet intriguing mood with hints of comedy throughout. The film overall, impressed in many aspects and was exceedingly entertaining to watch.
The music and anticipation throughout this film makes it enjoyable because of the suspense it created. Along with the music, the acting played a big role in the film.
Travis Freeman (Mark Hapka) is the running back for the Corbin High Redhounds who costars with the Quarterback Jerry Baker (Bram Hoover), and his good friend Ashley (Alexa Pena Vega) . The two work together in the film to help Travis have an enjoyable four years of high school even after losing his sight to an infection in his eyes.
With the plot that this story contains, it is inevitably going to be depressing. To ensure that the sadness in the film is not overwhelming, the film uses comedic scenes to balance out the emotions.
The subtle love story between Freeman and Ashley is a positive aspect of the film and sets an underlying tone of love along with other themes such as religion.
Vega’s acting and interest in Freeman’s character is obvious and her flirtatious lines are limited but powerful. Vega makes it clear that she has fallen in love with Freeman regardless of his disability and at no point during the film is she too sappy.
The music in 23 Blast is strongly religious based due to Freeman’s beliefs and ties to his church, but it is not overwhelming. The music is still enjoyable and only adds to the success of the film. The songs are soft and set a sad tone throughout a majority of the film complimenting the conflict exceptionally.
Along with the religious music, the sports related parts of the film contained more upbeat and modern songs. This set a more positive and competitive mood which fits the challenge Freeman faces of overcoming his loss of eyesight perfectly.
Freeman (Hapka) is the main character in the film and his stoic and humble personality suits his character well. Freeman’s conservative and quiet personality suit the film well and make his emotional scenes seem even more important.
Baker’s (Hoover) acting and performance flaws were limited but one of them that stood out was his inability to make his lines flow. His acting felt forced and unnatural. Other than this, Hoover did not stand out in any other major positive or negative aspects.
Ashley’s (Vega) role in the film is smaller than the other two main characters but she does an exceptional job when she is the main focus. Her lines are delivered easily and naturally while her emotions run deep throughout the film. Her admiration for Freeman is exemplified well with her flirtatious and subtle hints at how much she likes him. Vega overall, stood out in her smaller role even more so than other more major characters.
“23 Blast” covers all aspects of a sports drama from a good love story to heart-wrenching emotions and ties back to high school athletics. The film is extremely captivating and enjoyable with its religion base and original story.
“23 Blast” is rated PG-13 and is now playing in theaters nationwide.
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