Thunderstruck (2012)

Thanks for the memories!

Sadly Over-hyped

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

If you are basketball player at age between 10-16 you can say 'Wow its brilliant!' but you are not it's just a movie you will not remember its name after 1 month then you watched it.

Brian Newall is a hopelessly uncoordinated high school kid. He's the joke at his school and the basketball team towel boy. He is ridiculed in front of his crush, new girl Isabel. His hero is Oklahoma City Thunder Kevin Durant. He goes to a game with his father and gets into the shot contest. He fails miserably. When Durant gives him a ball, all of his skills get passed along with it. Brain becomes a great player while Durant can't hit the side of the barn. Coach Amross (Jim Belushi) makes Brian his star player. Durant's agent Alan (Brandon T. Jackson) has a crazy idea of what actually happened.The kid is a weak actor. He looks fine as a baller which might be the prerequisite for this role. It would be better to get a more fun actor. Durant is a good actor for a basketball player. At least, the NBA cooperated. It's often cheesy to have fake pro teams. The TNT crew is also involved. This could work as a fun Freaky Friday family film but the kid is no rising star. The most fun happens when Durant and the kid try to recreate the freaky switch. Otherwise, it lacks the humor and fun.

Thunderstruck is a teen-age film that features Oklahoma City Thunder and NBA superstar Kevin Durant together with Taylor Gray, Jim Belushi, Brandon T. Jackson,Tristin Mays and Doc Shaw.The story's a simple one.Brian Newall is a big fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the team's standout player Durant, but short and clumsy himself, he's relegated to managing the Eagles, the high-school team coached by self-promoting coach Amross and his lock-step assistant. Brian's also tormented by his little sister Ashley, who posts videos of his backyard catastrophes at the basket, which are then picked up and shown on campus by team star Connor. All this when Brian is trying to impress the pretty new girl, Isabel. When Brian's dad takes him to a Thunder game to cheer the kid up, the boy's selected to try a half-time prize shot, which he muffs badly, conking the mascot instead. Durant consoles him by giving him a signed ball, but unknowingly also his own talent. Suddenly Durant can't nail the basket at all, sending his team down the tubes, while Brian becomes the Eagles' spark plug, making incredible moves and scoring forty and fifty points a game—bringing him campus adulation and Amross the dream of a state championship. Unfortunately, in the process Brian gets a swelled head, ignoring his best friend Mitch and alienating Isabel. Fortunately Durant's agent Alan figures out what's happened and desperately tries to reverse the talent switch, though he must first convince Durant he's not just suffering a terrible slump. And, of course, Brian has to come to his senses and realize he shouldn't profit from somebody else's ability without working for the skill himself—or ditch his friends. One guess as to how things turn out.The film has a great, if not commonplace, message: Work hard to get ahead. Don't take any shortcuts. Those teachable moments make it a worthy diversion for parents and kids already cheering for Durant, the NBA or sports-themed entertainment. Durant's personal motto, which is repeated often, is "Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard." And that slogan acts as the backbone of the film, educating young audience members about the importance of practice. Nothing wrong with kids wasting 90 minutes if they come away with that theme.I am sure that people who love basketball and Durant fans would love this one too.Boys of a certain age—and their sports-minded dads—probably won't mind. For them, it won't be earth-shaking, but it should prove a harmless invitation to spend a little quality time together.

We all love to root for the underdog, when he becomes top dog through a fluke rather than hard work, well, it's not so satisfying. Brian Newall, who magically acquires the talent of his hoops hero Kevin Durant (who plays himself), eventually finds he'd rather get the talent back to its rightful owner. There are plenty of laughs along the way, from Brian's klutzy ball-playing in the beginning to what KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Brianna Beaton, age 12, describes as her favorite scene, when Kevin's agent "is trying to get Kevin his talent back. He is doing all kinds of things, going from holding the basketball together with saying a message to rubbing the carpet and then finally to a stun gun." Brianna was there at the red carpet to interview cast members, including father and son actors James and Robert Belushi who share how they brought comedy from their own relationship to the script.Thunderstruck Reviewed by Brianna Beaton (See her full review on video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkfvV7swlqE)Thunderstruck, starring NBA superstar Kevin Durant, is a funny and inspirational film that is definitely enjoyable to watch.Brian Newall (Taylor Gray) is horrible at basketball. He loves the game, but he just cannot play. Brian is a very big fan of NBA superstar Kevin Durant. While at a basketball game, Brian gets a chance to meet the superstar and supposedly steals Kevin's talent. Kevin Durant, playing himself, is suddenly horrible at basketball while Brian is the new superstar on his high school team. Kevin is worthless and is on the receiving end of all the bad publicity from fans and sports commentators. Kevin's agent, Alan Garrett, (Brandon T. Jackson) goes to great lengths to try and get Kevin his talent back.I really like this film because I just love basketball. It is my favorite sport and I really get into the game. There are a lot of funny moments when Brian is playing with his team and he is showing how really klutzy he is. Coach Amross (James Belushi) and his assistant coach Dan (Robert Belushi) are too funny and will definitely keep you laughing. My favorite scene is when Alan is trying to get Kevin his talent back. He is doing all kinds of things, going from holding the basketball together with saying a message to rubbing the carpet and then finally to a stun gun. This is really funny. I also like the scene with Kevin's mom in a cheerleader's outfit.One great message in this film is that talent isn't something you get; talent is something that you earn with hard work and dedication.I recommend this film for ages 7 to 18 and anyone who loves the game of basketball. If you are a fan of Kevin Durant, then you will not want to miss this one.I give Thunderstruck four out of five stars because it's funny, has a good message and is great for the whole family to enjoy.