Fantastic!

Absolutely Fantastic

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Original Score:3.5/4 Movie: ****1/2 (4.5/5) Quality: ****1/2 (4.5/5)"Malaysia! Malaysia! Malaysia! Malaysia!""Goal…! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal!"That's how the fans of a soccer team cheer when a goal is scored by their team, isn't it? Or is it just once? (That is: Goal…!) Note the long stretch of tone during the first "Goal..!" , then the next ones that follow are shouted out in quick succession. How would you choose to cheer your team on? It doesn't matter. But I will talk about what does matter later.Ola Bola (2016) is a Malaysian Sports Drama film directed by Chiu Keng Guan (Director of "The Journey (2014)") and is a film inspired by true events. This isn't a historical drama film. It is a film that is inspired by true events, and the characters are entirely fictional. (The opening title card will remind you of that.)It is about Malaysia's National Football Team. When the disagreements between the team members cause them to lose a number of matches consecutively, they must set aside their pride, personal problems, differences and train hard to regain their lost glory. Not just their glory; they don't just fight for their glory, but for the glory of their country as well. That is Malaysia, the country where I live.Let me see, where do I begin to talk about the film?As I have said above, the film is inspired by true events, and the characters within it are all fictional. But get this: "The characters are multicultural. Including the side characters. (Family members of each of the team players, the coach of the team and many other supporting characters of the movie.)Our nation, Malaysia, is a multiracial country. Now the Malaysian Football team featured in the movie is a (Fictional, yet inspired by true events.) multiracial football team, consisting of Chinese, Malay and Indian team members. In spite of their racial differences, they still work together as a team throughout the matches than are shown on screen. (Different Skin Color, but they can still be brothers and teammates.) Such is the importance of teamwork.However, the film is also multilingual. In other words, it is not just in the English Language, but there are moments of Chinese, English, Malay and other languages that I cannot understand. If I understand that particular language, I will listen. If I do not understand certain words spoken in the film, I will read the subtitles. Well, this is the first Malaysian movie that I saw in Cinemas. It is energetic, well performed, emotional and filled with energies of sportsmanship.Oh, did anyone notice the writing? I did. It's got a lot of sportsmanship written within, meaning that there are a lot of positive messages about working as a team, the importance of teamwork, the dark sides of ego and so on and so forth. Then there is humor written into the dialogue of the film as well. How so? Well, I myself saw some of the audience (And myself as well.) in the cinema laughing at many moments of the film, the humor is what lightens the mood as well as provide the audiences with moments of enjoyment throughout the film. Did I forget to mention the brilliant performances given by the cast of the entire film? From the main actors to the extras, they all captivated me with their acting that I literally forgot that this was just a movie. I felt that it is as if I am watching a real football match. While the Malaysian Football team are playing a match, especially at the final rounds, the Malaysian crowd are cheering the team on (Crowd Chanting: Malaysia! Malaysia! Malaysia! Malaysia! Malaysia!). And they perform so well that you'll feel as if you're watching a real football match itself. But may I remind you that this is a fictional story modeled and inspired by real events. Wow, the film is both exciting and breathtaking to watch. It's not just the scenery of the Stadium that is breathtaking, but also the scenery of the Nature of the nation of Malaysia as well. And at the same time, it is uplifting, meaningful, emotional, and philosophical.To all Malaysian Audiences out there, give this film a go. Try it, it's an emotional journey that the film will take you on, and the actions (and words) of the entire multicultural cast that will emphasize the importance of teamwork, achieving one's dreams, letting go of pride and accepting other's no matter the racial difference, etc. This is really a great film about sportsmanship! Anyway, this is written from the experience of a single viewing of the film, that is what I have learned. What will you learn? That's for you to find out for yourself, and the only way to find out is to watch this movie.

I'm reserving one out of 10 because I'm expecting a better movie coming from Malaysia's Movie Industry after this excellent movie.Please keep it up and producing an original film rather than the same old lame ghost movies or same old love stories.I like the idea of this movie where it shows the unity of the citizens, the enthusiastic of sports and patriotic spirit to lift up the pride of the country.To all people out there, go and watch this very inspiring and emotional movies! You won't regret it. You will believe it. Again.If this movie don't get any award, I don't know how those retarded judges thinking. Just saying.

I have not watch the recent Malaysian movies, and I believed many Malaysians are like me, preferring foreign movies for better storyline, better cinematography, better acting and in short, better movies. But after viewing this movie with the last ticket in the hall, it somehow restores a small faith in me, both in our football team, as well in the movie industry. Perhaps, this movie can serve as a catalyst for reignite our dying Malaysian spirit.The movie's background is set in the late 70s and early 80s in Malaysia, deemed as the golden era for Malaysian football.Those who follows or know a thing or two about local football history, you will immediately relate the characters to the actual football legend. Chow Kok Keong = Soh Chin Aun a.k.a "Tauke"; Eric "Balak" = James Wong, Ali = Hassan Sani, Muthu = V.Arumugam.Just like many of the sports themed movies, it did not escape the cliché formula. The team was struggling due to personal ego of each of the characters, the inner conflict between the players and the coach, and eventually the team came to unite together for the same pride, to bring glory to our country. The storyline was simple enough for all Malaysians to understand and to relate to. To know that our country was multicultural, not divided by politics and religion, to know that a Chinese can consult his best friend which was a Malay when facing inner conflicts, I find it refreshing somehow. The director, Chiu Keng Guan who gain fame after his box office smashing movie "The Journey", did well again. As a viewer, I can understand his motives and ambition for the movie. The story was told from 3 perspectives of 3 main characters in the movie. Coincidentally, the 3 characters were forms the 3 major ethnic race in our country. However, I was a little bit puzzled of his choice to narrate the story from the sports caster view (which of a Malay Ethnicity) instead of using the narratives from the the main player Ali in the football team. But nevertheless, I am still pleased that he pays his tribute to the sports casters and I could relate almost immediately to the sports casters that I grew up with like Rahim Razali or Hasbullah Awang. As a continuation from "The Journey", Chiu did not forget to showcase breathtaking scenery in this movie. To me, the quiet montage of the scenery reminds me wildly that this beautiful place is my country. And what ever I do, I do it for this land of abundance. The chorus of "Inilah Barisan Kita" that was echoing in few scenes brings a sense of patriotism in me even before the climax of the movie. As for the acting, I was told that the characters were not actors and training were given just before they started shooting. Despite all that, the cast was able to give a commendable performance. In fact some of the smaller characters like the substitute player Ah Chai and the 3 brothers of the goalkeeper Muthu did well provides much of the comedic aspect in the movie. Overall, this movie is both uplifting and inspiring. It is important for us to be reminded that we had a better Malaysia back then. And as per the tag line "You will believe again", I choose to believe that we Malaysians will be able to unite again, looking past our racial and faith differences, and perhaps just perhaps, I will be able to witness our football team can rise again and enter Olympics or World Cup in my life time.

Let's be honest, most recent Malaysian films are catered for one demographic or another. There have been attempts at targeting the general Malaysians before, but none as successful as Ola Bola.Ola Bola is inspired by a true story. It's not exactly a historical account. So don't expect accurate historical drama. It took liberty here and there, but left enough reference to the inspiring story that anyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s can relate to them immediately. There are some interesting character development going on, but juggling ensemble films aren't easy. Suffice to say the director manages to get the balance right, although it isn't stellar.The only downside I found in this film is several cringe-worthy dialogues. In fact, we could see how the actors struggle to deliver those lines, particularly in the earlier part of the story.But that aside, this is a very moving and inspirational story with enough juice to draw the audience in and enjoy the journey.