First review

The official documentary of the London 2012 Olympic Games

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If the BBC's five-disc, 15-hour boxset doesn’t satisfy your appetite for London 2012, there’s always Caroline Rowland’s official documentary: a heartfelt salute to the Olympic ideal, cut from the same cloth as the two shorts her company produced for the bid campaign.

Following the mixed fortunes of 12 debut Olympians from around the world, it’s a rollercoaster of triumph, heartbreak, elation and despair, with a few familiar faces (British cyclist Laura Trott, US swimmer Missy Franklin), plenty more you’d have difficulty recognising and rather too much Olly Murs on its soundtrack.

Freelance Writer

Neil Smith is a freelance film critic who has written for several publications, including Total Film. His bylines can be found at the BBC, Film 4 Independent, Uncut Magazine, SFX, Heat Magazine, Popcorn, and more.