source: The 33

Are the miners and their families who were trapped and impacted receiving any money from the profits of this film? Were any of the minors involved in the filmmaking either as crew or actors as recompense for what they went through? Were the men and\or their families part of the story. As in were they consulted and if so were they compensated? Have they seen the film and what are their reactions? Are they're lives still be impacted by the cave-in or does the money from the film help them in positive ways. As in, do they have enough food, shelter and can their kids attend school? Did they receive counselling provided by the company they worked for? Did the company who ran this mining operation receive money from the producers for making this film?

Overall, I think the movie is worth watching since it's an amazing story. But the "Hollywood" factor is a little too much "Hollywood". I understand that Antonio Banderas is not ex-president Sebastian Piñera's biggest fan, as they are publicly from different political sides. And I understand that it's a movie and that Piñera is just a character, not real-life Piñera, and that they wanted a cold president, whose biggest concern was the implications that meant for chile's international image if the miners were not rescued. After all, it's Hollywood. But the real story is better. I just wish that they had sticked to it. The whole intelligence that was involved in the rescue of the miners is not really shown in the movie. Throughout the movie, Golborne is portrayed as the big man. He was very important, but in the real story is much more impressive, worth telling and honestly realistic. Piñera, who is know for being a brilliant man, had a lot more to do with it, he acted fast as asked for help from other countries as soon as he heard the news because he remembered a story of a Russian submarine that had failed under the ocean and the whole crew died because they were not rescued at time. That was all over the news at the time and we all thought he was crazy, not way they could find the miners alive. The engineers and Piñera were the brains behind the operation, and that story I believe is not that well represented in the movie, and is so interesting. How these people managed to do it, something that was impossible. I'm proud to be Chilean and the quality of the engineers we have here. I mean, we just had a 8.4 earthquake and there was very little damage. The earthquake was intense, so intense, I lived it, but the real reason why little damage happened is because of our engineers, and how they have designed our houses, buildings, urban structure, everything, in order to survive earthquakes. In 2010, during an 8.8 earthquake there were many deaths, but the main reason that happened was because people were not evacuated at time and a huge tsunami took many lives. I might sound like a Piñera fan- i'm not, I just acknowledge his work. I'm not a political person, but I follow the news in my country. The newspapers that are pro- government, and the other ones too. I'm not really biased. So, another thing that I thing should have been in the movie is how the first lady, Cecilia Morel, acted and what a huge support she was for the families and in the camp. She has always been perceived as the most lovely and caring person, even from people that deeply dislike his husband. She was very important for the families. The day her father died, they found the miners. And minutes before he died, he told Piñera that the miners were alive and that he should go back to Copiapó and help them. So, he went to Copiapó when his father-in-law died, the day they found the miners. That was impressive and unique, the real story. Piñera and his wife were at the camp almost the whole time. There is a lot of interesting elements that were left out in the movie. A lot of intelligence and unique things that happened. The story itself is so impressive and unbelievable that they didn't need had to change it. And, as I said before, showing the intelligence and how fast they acted would make the movie more realistic, too.

when i first found out about this film, and did some research, i was shocked to find out all 33 miners survived for a couple of reasons. first, the obvious. the conditions were not ideal, the constant falling of the mountain could have any miner at any time. secondly, 69 days in 90 degree conditions can bring on so many illnesses. 3rdly, the mental impact it must have taken on those men. you would have though they would have killed each other down there. that they didn't is a testament to their leader (Banderas) who lead everything in an organized fashion. yes, tensions run high but he was fair and that is why the men are still so close today. really amazing movie about hope. highly recommended. my only beef (hence the 8 stars) is some of the casting. Lou diamond Phillips is Filipino, not Latino and needs to stop being cast as such. similarly, Juliette binoche? really? a french actress as a Hispanic. they really missed the ball on that. otherwise, wonderfully emotional film.

Squandering an almost unbelievable true story in a treatment that feels far to TV like to produce the emotional resonance needed in such a dramatic survival tale, Patricia Riggen's dramatization of the 2010 Chilean mining collapse that enthralled the world is a harmless attempt at bringing this stunning example of human courage and perseverance to the big screen but for such an unforgettable modern day tale, The 33 is sadly highly forgettable. With a recognisable if not an exactly star studded cast led by the increasingly aged looking Antonio Banderas who finds support from hamming it up co-stars Rodrigo Santoro and one time A-lister Lou Diamond Philips, Riggen puts a majority of its focus onto these three men as Banderas's Mario and Philips's Don Lucho survive under the collapsed mountain of San Jose with their 31 other co-workers and Santoro government official with a heart of gold Laurence Golborne manages the rescue efforts above ground but a key ingredient to films such as The 33 is getting the audience to feel their pains and sufferings and their triumphs but Riggen's direction is so stale and uninvolving that The 33 has a hard time making any form of impact with its loaded material. Many including myself would remember the travails of these 33 Chilean miners, trapped for months in the small space of shelter after the mining shaft they were working in collapses but Riggen fails to capitalise on our memories or feels from this time and it would be most adequate to describe Riggen's direction as cold and miscalculated and the aforementioned cast struggle with some truly groan inducing dialogue and even industry veterans Gabriel Byrne and the embarrassed looking Juliette Binoche can't make the cheese covered wordings work. Overall The 33 fails to make a dent cinematically bar a few sporadic yet impressive visual ticks and even the late great James Horner's intrusive score feels like a half effort. The true tale of these Chilean miners and there will to survive is a great story and as poor as The 33's execution is their plight is enough to make sure Riggen's film isn't a true turkey but for a tale that offers so much possibility (the psychological toll of being underground an example, something briefly touched upon here) The 33 feels like an opportunity gone begging with hopes left that one day a more polished and thoughtful incarnation of this story can be produced. 2 cookies out of 5

Sometimes in life you come across stories that are so intense and complex they are worth being immortalized on film. And the 2010 Copiapó mining incident in Chile is as intense as it gets. All of the sudden, everyone back then got out of their routine and turned their attention to Chile, where this surreal situation of 33 souls trapped 700m deep in the entrails of a very unsafe mine. Were they alive? How many survived? If they managed to, are they well? And, above all, could they be rescued? As the days passed, each one of these questions were answered in a miraculous way: against all odds, that note determinedly handwritten in bold red defied circumstances and extolled hope: "Estamos bien en el refugio, los 33". Fueled by this motivation sparked from underground, an entire country -with the whole world watching- began the war against the clock, with the clear resolution of getting them to the surface, and reunite with their families. This film brilliantly captures every single of those moments, with the precise amount of drama. Great performances from the actors, the cast delivers every single emotion convincingly, notably the actresses, Banderas, Santoro and Raba, who successfully connect with the viewer. The atmosphere is also claustrophobic, aided by the sound editing, that helps the audience feel right there, trapped beneath rocks. Some side-stories help to give context to the story, and even balance it with humorous moments. It is a roller coaster of emotions that, despite possibly knowing how it all ended, keeps you at the edge of your seat. Perhaps its only downside -which is an important one for me- is the film editing. Some scenes appear to end abruptly. A major principle in drama is that you must leave some time for the spectator to process the emotion you have just conveyed. For moments, there's no transition: you get shocked by a sensitive scene, only to be immediately swept by a funny one. And even worse, transitions between scenes taking place in the refugee and the surface are not as smooth as you'd want, given the obvious difference in lighting, even leading in one occasion to me being left almost blinded after a cave scene cuts inadvertently to a bright sky. These aspects should have been taken into account and prevented. It's a shame they didn't have the tact to consider this while editing the film. All and all, it's a great real-life drama movie. You will be touched by the performances and the overall atmosphere, if you do not let yourself be distracted by the graceless editing. But it's greatly scripted and directed. The final scene, with the inspector of the mine breaking in tears while looking at the inscription the miners left on the bedrock summarizes the tragedy perfectly. And showing on screen the real characters of the story (who also worked on film production as well) right before the credits roll was a very nice touch.

Some of the last words in the movie: "The San Jose Mining Company was found not guilty of criminal negligence." "The miners were never compensated". I will cite from the comment above: "Mining is a dangerous business. Going deep underground to dig minerals out of the earth means subjecting yourself to extreme heat, back-breaking work and the inhalation of dust that can lead to the pulmonary disease of silicosis. If none of these kill you slowly, the mine itself can kill you quickly and without warning. Miners die from accidents caused by their equipment, gas leaks and explosions and, of course, sudden collapses of the rock surrounding them. All told, this difficult work kills thousands of miners every year (as many as 12,000 by one count). These facts and statistics are brought to life in the true story of the 2010 Chilean copper-gold mine collapse portrayed in the drama "The 33" (PG-13, 2:07)." The greed of few is making millions of people around the world suffering. Human is expendable. Humans became "resources" themselves. Ugly face of capitalism. Corporationism. Plutocracy.

With its empowering story, visuals and acting, this film brings another true survival story to life. A group of thirty three gold miners go to work in the underlying mountains of Chile when their lives quickly turn upside down. Stranded by the collapse of the rocks, the men are forced to work together, struggle for food, stay optimistic despite their life threatening condition. With every second so crucial, the intensity of the film leaves the audience on the edge of their seats. Watching this film made me feel the pain of the miners, the anxiety of the families and the stress of the rescue team. I could personally feel the struggle from every side of the story. This is an amazing aspect of the film, especially because it is based on a true story. What better way to gain awareness than to make individuals feel the experience for themselves. I felt like throwing up throughout the whole movie and that just shows how amazingly the filmmakers depicted this horrifyingly true story of the innocent men who were stranded and their struggle to survive. The filmmakers have created a film that makes the audience feel as though they are experiencing the struggle rather than just watching it. I felt as if I was starving and becoming dehydrated just by watching. It's what makes the movie feel so real. The persuasive acting contributes to the empowering movie, especially Antonio Banderas whose performance as the leader, Mario was so believable. It's a role completely different from what he usually plays and he made me believe he was a Chilean miner. Usually films based on tragic events feel depressing but this film feels empowering and comedic in certain scenes. I enjoyed that. The film didn't make the best impression at first but, it became very engaging and strong towards the end. I give a lot of credit to its great ending because, in my opinion, an ending can really make or break a movie. I give the movie four out of five stars and recommend it for people between the ages of 13 and 18. Adults will enjoy it as well. Reviewed by Harmony M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 16

The 33 is based on a true story about thirty-three miners who were trapped underground after an earthquake back in 2010. A film adaptation could have easily been another one of those claustrophobic/isolated approach such as Cast Away, 127 Hours or Buried, where we only focus on the protagonist finding a way to get out. But no, it's a movie that bounces into different locations, characters (even outside the cave) and themes; so this might as well be The Martian, except it's twice as conventional and sentimental. Yeah, the movie doesn't quite manage to linger on the ordeals, which makes The 33 a mostly contrived piece of drama. The movie doesn't wait longer for the miners to face the mishap, though it does take some time to establish each of their personal life, more specifically with their loved ones who are also going to help pushing the government to get them back. After those moments of shoehorning, foreshadowing and the accident finally happened, the victims gone paranoid and plan ahead for the rest of their days, finally facing the reality of their situation, while their loved ones are protesting for the lack of information of the incident. It's not a bad setup, but as the story goes, it just goes to the most standard, almost Hallmark worthy drama. It hardly takes any risks, it just pushes into easy sentiments. Though there is some strong moments, well sort of. Specifically after an incredibly awkward hallucination sequence from the miners, it suddenly segues to a quiet moment of reality. That silence is the kind of gravity this movie needed more, but again, it's supposed to be a feel-good inspiration, so we don't see much of a compelling struggle. The characters aren't given enough definition either, aside of their families, thus their moments below the cave is basically just a series of melodramatic issues that get easily resolved. However, it is visually appealing, the production and the setting really look flavorful in detail. The direction also solidly put its action together, but only for the sake of spectacle rather than suspense. The acting is pretty strange, one could argue that these international actors are just great enough to play these roles, but the accents are just so unnatural. Put that aside, well their performances eventually turn out to be predictable in this dramatic platform's standards. I wanted to like The 33, this is a good story and I believe this can be perfect on screen if it was handled by a much inspired storytelling, but it goes to the breeziest route that every conventional drama typically end up. Maybe a little more gravitas like its quietest moments, maybe more depth from at least some of these miners aside of their relationships and single noted personalities. In the end, most of the conclusion feels unearned, not because of there was no effort, but because the movie doesn't quite linger at the more interesting parts of this dilemma. We've seen this approach before and we knew that it doesn't quite bring much tension, depth or complexity with its story, thus everything feels underwhelming.

Those chilean guys speaking English are just too weird. The same will happen with the Crouching Tiger's sequel, which is also spoken in English. I'm just tired of that format. It sounds silly. I understand it's not made for chilean people, and I'm also not chilean. There are awesome series like Narcos where people will speak the character's languages. Americas will speak English, colombians will speak Spanish and so on.. It adds realism to the movie. The rest about the movie is kinda OK but I believe the event itself is far more impressive than the movie can deliver. It's a nice glimpse of what happened there, but it turns a serious historic episode into a childish tale.