Recent viewing figures revealed that The Mandalorian is five times more popular than anything else on the Disney Plus library, which is probably one of the main reasons why the company have signaled that exclusive streaming content is going to be their priority in the future. In fact, since Mando and Baby Yoda wrapped up their first adventure last year, the filmed version of Hamilton and Mulan have been the only in-house originals to grab any sort of headlines, and in the case of Nike Caro’s live-action remake, the publicity wasn’t all that positive.
Eddie the Eagle isn’t going to dominate the cultural conversation when it gets added to the Disney Plus library next month (December 18th), but it’s well worth checking out for subscribers lamenting the relative dearth of fresh content available on the platform. Hugh Jackman gives one of the more understated and effective performances of his career, while the biographical drama proved that Taron Egerton has more than enough acting prowess to succeed outside the confines of the Kingsman franchise.
The charming sports movie tells the true story of Michael Edwards, who in 1988 became the first ski jumper to represent Great Britain at the Winter Olympics since 1928. Despite finishing dead last and generally being terrible at it, Edwards captured the hearts of viewers around the world and became a cult hero thanks to his endearing personality.
Director Dexter Fletcher could have easily turned the title character into a figure of fun and roundly mocked him for his misguided efforts, but instead tackles the movie like a classic feel-good story, and the charismatic work of the cast overcome the myriad of cliches to make Eddie the Eagle a breezily entertaining watch which subscribers will no doubt enjoy when it arrives on Disney Plus.