From The Ashes (2011)

Critic Reviews

• Tom Dawson, Total Film

  Wider themes of leadership and social class are explored, but it's fundamentally aimed at cricket fans, who'll doubtless relish rewatching Beefy's heroic feats with bat and ball.

• Philip French, Guardian [UK]

  It is quite as remarkable as The Damned United, Tom Hooper's film about the rivalry between Brian Clough and Don Revie.

• Derek Malcolm, This is London

  There's a bit of hyperbole that suggests the surprise English victory - thanks largely to Botham's heroics - changed English sport forever. But it certainly gave us some unforgettable moments.

• David Edwards, Daily Mirror [UK]

  It's one of those rare movies sure to appeal to cricket fans and non-fans alike.

• Andrew Pulver, Guardian [UK]

  [An] entertaining if not fantastically enlightening documentary.

• Sukhdev Sandhu, Daily Telegraph

  What's most interesting is the attempt to portray Botham as a provincial upstart fighting against the "class apartheid" of the English cricketing elite.

• David Parkinson, Radio Times

  Tom Hardy's narration is occasionally over the top and things peter out before the Oval test, but few cricket lovers will complain.

Read all 7 critic reviews