Summary
A generic sports drama with a father/son storyline to hold it together and inspire audiences.
In The Queenstown Kings on Netflix, this inspirational South African sports drama is about a young football prodigy from Queenstown who faces the return of his washed-up, pro-footballer father. He battles with pursuing his dreams of becoming a soccer star or a unified dream with the team when his father returns. We all want to be the star of our own life, and once you have a dream in place, it’s hard to put yourself on the sideline hoping some good would come out of it.
The one sport that is beloved around the world is soccer, or to use the proper term, “football.” No one realizes the impact the sport makes on communities internationally. It is a sport that brings people together because it is easy to learn. All you need is a ball and some friends to play around with.
This film highlights the strength of community and understanding the value of building that foundation so you’re able to move on to bigger and greater things. Director Jahmil X.T. Qubeka is also a co-writer with Clyde Berning on this film, and they work together to make a strong sports drama.
The Queenstown Kings review and plot summary
The film begins on the pitch during a football match. We see that Fezile is playing, and his grandfather is his instructor. Quebeka shows this is a generational story from the start, which creates an emotional tie to the characters. His grandfather unfortunately passed away and he had to grieve his loss. He wasn’t only his grandfather, but a famous South African football star that many looked up to in the community. Fezile saw what a football star is capable of doing for others and he set out to make that his dream as well.
Malusi, also known as “Mkhulu”, played for Mamelodi Sundowns, which is one of the bigger squads in the country for South African football. Fezile has tried his best to make a name for himself, but when Malusi stepped out on the pitch it changed everything. The one thing about this story is that there are many characters involved and it’s hard to keep track of the character dynamics and what’s happening in the story.
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Fezile’s father had left him and his mother when he was just a baby and returned when he was older. He could never connect with his son, and it’s even more difficult at an older stage in life. Fezile believes that he could do everything without his father and succeed because he did that for a very long time. After getting into some trouble on a drunken evening, Fezile’s father pleads with the officers to let him off and not go to jail. He makes a rash decision to get closer to his son and suggests working as an assistant coach for the Queenstown Kings. Even though Fezile doesn’t want to bond with his father, the rest of his family members and his team think it’s a good idea.
Is The Queenstown Kings worth the watch?
The Queenstown Kings takes a while to find its footing but once you get to know the characters and watch them form relationships through a team sport, it becomes enjoyable. Like any sports drama there are highs and lows, but what matters is how unified the team feels on and off the field.
It does play out like a generic sports drama, so it can feel quite linear at times and very predictable, but it comes down to the character dynamics. The characters are well written and the father/son dynamic is probably the strongest aspect of this film.
The one thing that differs from other sports dramas is that the community gets involved with the players, which can cause more harm than good. Their relationships are different and they all feel like one big community instead of fans versus players.
What did you think of The Queenstown Kings? Comment below.
