By SHARON MOORE

Staff Writer

"Miracle" is a movie about ice hockey. One hundred and thirty five minutes of ice hockey. And very little else.

The movie is based on the upset wins of the United States Ice Hockey team at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Kurt Russell portrays the dispassionate Minnesotan hockey coach Herb Brooks. Second-in-command Coach Patrick is played by Noah Emmerich.

Brooks is given the incredible task of putting together an ice hockey team talented enough to win against the unbeatable Soviet team.

Brooks must bring his diverse players together to form a loving team that will stick together until the bitter end. The characters are different, but the story has been done before.

The viewer has trouble feeling any empathy as Brooks struggles between family and hockey. The "emotional" scenes are strained and lackluster, with little purpose other than to divide the endless scenes of rigorous practice and team tension.

The cinematography leaves something to be desired with a half-hearted attempt at what one hopes to be nostalgia. The colors are exaggerated in some scenes, bringing to mind a Technicolor western of bygone days. In other scenes, the colors are washed to the point of haziness, tempting the viewer to wipe the camera lens clean.

Non-athletic viewers born before 1970 may remember the portrayed events with fond nostalgia and find insight to a story of uplifting inspiration.

A non-athletic audience born after 1980 could perhaps learn a little of the politics of the time.

Any athlete, any time, anywhere, will love this movie, always.

The plot has been done, the film is lacking and the characters leave much to be desired.

With more than 20 "main" characters, the viewer has difficulty keeping them straight and remembering why they are to feel sad for one and happy for the other.

But the players have spirit, and the coach has faith. By the end of the movie, there is a glimmer of American pride in the players' glistening eyes.

All in all, the movie is a valiant effort to achieve the feel of an era, and athletes everywhere will appreciate this film.