The filmed record of the 2012 Olympics begins like no other I have seen: not with the location, not with the spectacle of the opening ceremonies, but with images of a dozen first-time competitors working out for their sports, while their voices and the voices of those near to them talk about how they came to be Olympians. As the film proceeds, we see the torchbearers and the people waving their national flags and hear the roar of the crowd in the background; still we hear their voices, speaking calmly yet passionately of themselves. We see them in their events, we see the well remembered Olympians, like Usain Bolt, we are constantly in view of these twelve people, their achievements, and who they are.
If you've read my comments on the other Olympics movies I've seen, you may recall that I thought the fiim makers lost sight of what these games mean after the tragedy of the 1972 Olympics. Director Caroline Rowland and her editors, Sim Evan-Jones, Alan Levy, and Chris Petcher, show the audience what it means to these athletes.