UNSTOPPABLE (AMAZON PRIME) (2025)

SYNOPSIS: Unstoppable is the inspiring true story of Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) who was born with one leg but whose indomitable spirit and unbreakable resolve empowered him to defy the odds and pursue his dreams. With the unwavering love and support of his devoted mother Judy (Jennifer Lopez) and the encouragement of his coaches, Anthony fights through adversity to earn a spot on the Arizona State Wrestling team. But it will demand everything he has, physically and mentally, to achieve his ultimate quest to become an NCAA Champion.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Sports biopics are a favourite among Hollywood filmmakers. Remember the Titans, 42, Stronger, Coach Carter, The Blind Side… we can name a dozen more but you get the drift. After releasing Air, the biopic about the origin of Air Jordan, Artists Equity, the production company owned by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon is back yet again with another sports drama about Anthony Robles, a wrestler born without a leg.

Let’s be frank. Unstoppable is a formulaic sports drama that more or less follows the same old narrative. A kick-ass young athlete that is born into a poor family tries his best to achieve his goal regardless of the obstacles in front. However, Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) has one more obstacle to overcome than the average person. He has only one leg. Of course, that didn’t stop Robles from going to Arizona State University and tries to get into their wrestling team despite some initial discouragement from their coach, Shawn Charles (Don Cheadle).

To make matters worse, he has to deal with a prick at home, his stepfather Rick (Bobby Cannavale) who is struggling financially to raise Robles’ numerous siblings. Still, he has a wonderful supportive mother, Judy (Jennifer Lopez) who works in Target to supplement the income. Half of the drama focused heavily on the toxicity of Rick and Judy’s suffering under his hands. It’s not all about Robles’ exhausting training regime it seems but an equal balance of humanity and melodrama.

Unstoppable unquestionably is more concerned about Robles, his mother and other characters than the sport itself. So if you are preparing yourself for some hardcore wrestling matches, you will probably be disappointed. Even then, the wrestling portrayed here are college level wrestling and not the better known WWE professional wrestling.

See, this is the typical inspiring, triumph of the human spirit kind of sports drama. There’s no surprises to the whole narrative but lots of nuggets of wisdom from both coach Shawn and coach Bobby Williams (Michael Peña). In her most unglam form, Lopez delivers a compelling performance as a mother willing to sacrifice anything for her son. Jerome is outstanding in the lead role, the flawless CGI lends to the authenticity of his character he is playing that those who are not familiar with Jerome might think he is indeed missing a leg.

Unstoppable is a decent addition to the genre but remains unremarkable even with all the engaging performances from everyone involved. While the real Anthony Robles achieved more in life than the average person as shown in the end credits, this biography never really reaches the same heights.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee