This film, at first glance just a bit of adolescent fluff, is very much worth watching. Among its happy reasons: 1.it is expertly crafted: you're in the hands of very skilled folks , both behind and in front of the camera, who are masters of the art of pleasing with seeming artlessness2.it pivots around an actual live person, a superstar, who â€" and this is the heart of its appeal, its unique grabber - PLAYS HMSELF! Not just in a cameo role or walk- on, but in scene after scene after scene, looming gigantically throughout yet always with the actor's attribute that is most prized by movie directors â€" understatement. 3.For almost the entire movie this superstar must portray himself as his own negation - a failure, an utter incompetent, a flop of zero market value. How many of today's multi-millionaire superstars would have the â€" maturity? Character? Self-cnfidence? Whatever â€" to portray themselves as the total antithesis of their quintessential image? KD breaks new ground â€" and he does it with all the grace and charm and acting skill you could want.4.The film's dramatic structure is worthy of the classics: it spins out not one but two fantasies in equal measure, equally compelling, totally opposite in content yet inseparably interlocked, providing all the necessary dramatic tension. On the one hand there's the trite adolescent sunshine daydream; on the other, the dark nightmare of a superhero whose power suddenly and inexplicably vanishes. Two universal fantasies. It takes a deft sensibility to dream it up and pull it off.5.The cast are all so splendid in their respctive roles and a pleasure to behold. Taylor Gray of course, and Brandon Jackson; and James Belushi, as coach Amross, creates a memorable new comic character.6.Beyond all of the above and more is that the film never lets you forget one important fact: it's all a spoof, a slice of plain good fun. So, watching it, you never have to be anxious or frowny; just be cool, love it for what it is, have a couple of hours of harmless fun - regardless of your age (I'm 82) and relish a new-found respect for the man KD and for all the others who made it happen!

This movie was better than I expected for a straight to DVD rental. The characters were very likable and well cast. It had a ton of very funny parts, slick fast paced basketball scenes and some nice break ins with other well known stars (Conan, other basketball players, etc). I am not a basketball fan, so I have never heard of Kevin Durant, but I am a fan after seeing him in this movie. My six year old son and I both really enjoyed the movie and it was great to not watch a totally dumbed down cartoon movie with no plot. We actually watched it twice in one day, that's how much we liked it! I'd say that this movie would be best for kids 5 - 10.It was predictable in its format and that last 10 minutes were basically a carbon copy of most other movies of this type, so don't be shocked. It isn't an Oscar contender, but compared to other movies starring athletes, this was a good one. I'll buy it for our collection for snow/rain/sick days. Enjoyable, laid back, perfect for mom/dad to read the paper while the kid is entertained for a full 1.5 hours. Solid 7/10.

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.

Thunderstruck is yet another short guy's hoop dreams fairytale. Brian Newall (Taylor Gray) is a huge Kevin Durant fan much like me, so I was pleased with how the story focused on this amazing NBA player. I was totally pulling for the Thunder in the NBA playoffs, but alas it wasn't their time. Initially I figured that this was a Space Jam like film for this generation of young hoopsters to see a current fan favorite in a life situation other than simply on the court or I thought it might be a Like Mike kind of film. Unfortunately, it didn't have the charisma or heart of either of those two films. The funniest scenes are when Alan (Brandon T. Jackson) tries to fix "the situation" with all nature of high fives and fist pumps. But it's sad when you resort to ball on balls physical comedy for laughs. Again, I am a Kevin Durant fan and consider him one of the most talented ballers in the game today, but he and Candace Parker Williams have some serious work to do if they want to build an acting resume. It helped that Brandon T. Jackson and James Belushi (Coach Amross) are good actors but they did not make enough of a difference to balance out the poor acting. The only common factor with this film and Space Jam was Sir Charles Barkley in his current role as a TNT basketball commentator. He was as funny in this film as ever. I laughed audibly when he remarked that Shaq had been working with Kevin on his free throws. If you want to make a Space Jam or Like Mike type of movie it has to have magic, even though there was some inexplicable magic in this film it wasn't that game winning shot kind that leaves your exhilarated and satisfied with the final triumph. I did realize though that you have to have some basketball talent to make it appear that you have no basketball talent. If it were the beginning of summer and you wanted to get the kids out of the house then send them to this film for an hour and a half of peace, but since it isn't you are better off saving your dollars. This film was like a drawn out commercial for the NBA, Nike and Kevin Durant, unfortunately it was less memorable than his data plan commercial. You can see basketball on TV, you can see the TNT announcers on TV and you should really wait until this film comes to TV to see it. I give it a red light.