Ice Castles (2010)

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Director Donald Wrye took the helm at the remake of his 1978 film entitled Ice Castles that tells the story of a figure skater who is at the top of her popularity but tragedy strikes when she meets an accident and loses her eyesight.It stars Taylor Firth and Rob Mayes in this direct-to-video film.Alexis Winston left her boyfriend to become a champion figure skater.After achieving her dreams,she suddenly was blinded in a tragic ice skating mishap.Her spirit was broken and felt depressed after she became blinded by it.But with through perseverance and strong fighting spirit,she manages to lace up her figure skates and returned to the sport.Despite her disability,she managed to become once again a figure skating champion. This is a movie that is worth seeing.Although I consider it not as good as the original,this remake still is worth watching especially for people with disabilities to pursue their dreams and try to overcome the fact that their so-called limitations is a hindrance to whatever they can become in this world.Overall,it is a good remake of the 1978 film.

its terrible. no wonder it went straight to video. its a really bad. just don't. acting BAD, settings BAD, cinematography BAD. i rented it thinking it would be like the original 1978 but i was wrong in so many levels. i don't know why people cant do things right. they should have watched the first one first before making this one. the acting, awful. that girl playing Lexie, terrible. the boyfriend, terrible. those snotty girls in the competitions, terrible. don't wast your time. i sat down to watch this movie in hopes that it was good. i was wrong. i loved the original, i have it on DVD. i was hoping someone would come up with an updated version, maybe played by Scarlett Johanssen, but i was wrong.

Who cannot love a character lifting herself out of adversity? These movies uplift the viewer to make more of their own lives and uplift others. That is this movie. The characters are believable. Even the momentary appearance of Michelle Kwon, as a sports newscaster is believable. The father is believable. The boyfriend is believable. Even the coaches are believable. There is not a conniving script line. Good writing, I'd say. Good directing I'd say also. So, if you want an evening of good enjoyment with your sweetie, this is one movie you need to watch. Did I say that this was good casting? Did I mention that there was good acting?

There have been a couple or more of similar movies and themes in the past, haven't there? When was it I saw a similar version, 1978, 1988? The figure-skating heroine trains for the sectional figure-skating competitions, suffers a fall that somehow blinds her, but with the encouragement of her loving father, and particularly the help and coaching of her by then estranged boyfriend, decides to make a comeback, and without revealing her impediment to anyone, decides to continue her competition until the national championship.Some decent acting here, particularly from the girl Taylor Firth as Lexi, with some nice moves in the skating rink. Nothing we haven't seen before, of course. The rest of the acting/actors varied between lame - boring. I actually was dozing off in a couple of places. Had to get up and get one of the ice-cream sandwiches I had in the fridge to keep from falling asleep.I'm not saying the movie was bad. No. I mean, if you're looking for one of those family movies, old Walt Disney style, nothing spectacular, just hum-drum, OK, then here's your ticket. But we critics know that one of the main strengths of any movie is the story, and not just 'the story', but the way it is played out, the drama, if you will.In this respect, I cannot say Ice Castles delivers. It was over an hour past into the movie, and we're still waiting for something to happen. Then the girl falls, not very convincingly either, and that leaves the remaining 25 minutes of the movie to play out her depression, stage her comeback with her boyfriend's help, practice and prepare for the finals, and perform her skating competition.Not much drama here, no heart-rending moments, no real emotion ....I mean, after all, the girl is almost blind and decides to compete against all odds? I would imagine quite a challenge, right? Didn't see much of anything here.However, if you're a fan of ice skating movies, well then you might love this one. Nice for one of those rainy afternoons when there is nothing else to do.