Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

Micransix Crappy film

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

tinacarter-39877 Great documentary and lesson on never giving up!! Lance has passion and is determined to overcome any obstacle.

sleddogac The movie doesn't give important facts about Lance Mackey. In a recent Iditarod, one of Lance Mackey's male dogs ripped out all of his 16 toenails trying to get to a female who was in heat. This type of broken toenail is extremely painful. Mackey, a four-time Iditarod winner, said he was too stubborn to leave this dog at a checkpoint and veterinarians allowed Mackey to continue to race him. Imagine the agony the dog was forced to endure. In the 2015 Iditarod, two of Mackey's dogs died. His dog Wyatt died after having been forced to run in the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest just weeks before the Iditarod.Lance Mackey has 120 dogs who are forced to live at the end of short chains. Chaining is cruel, which is why it's been banned or restricted in many places.Learn more: Sled Dog Action Coalition

Larry Silverstein This documentary chronicles the story of Lance Mackey, to date the only winner of the Iditarod dog sled race four consecutive years (2007 thru 2010). The Iditarod race is held every March and is over 1.000 grueling miles through the Artic wilderness, beginning in Anchorage and ending in Nome, Alaska, and can take some 8 to 15 days to complete.Mackey was smitten with the dog sled racing bug ever since he was very young, and especially after seeing his father Dick Mackey win the Iditarod in dramatic fashion, in 1978. However, he would have to overcome a lot of obstacles along the way including his rebellious youth and drug use, the divorce of his parents, and being given little chance to survive a throat cancer operation. Eventually, he would overcome them all and become a champion musher, while achieving lots of notoriety whether he welcomed it or not.As far as the film itself, it can be disjointed, at times, but does contain some superb cinematography, and, of course, I'm always enamored by those wonderful and loyal sled dogs, to whom Mackey clearly gives much love and attention to.All in all, I thought this documentary has some drawbacks, but it illustrates the remarkable determination of a man to overcome many challenges, and to be successful at what he loves to do.

valleyofrivers Lance Mackey is a leader, not just of men, but of man's best friend: His dogs. The life bestowed on Lance did not come easy, and he's worked for every inch of snow he has ever traveled. The four-time winner of both the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and Yukon Quest has molded himself into a legendary dog musher. Lance Mackey is many things, but above all else he's a survivor.The Great Alone tells the story of Lance Mackey, an Alaskan dog musher born into an elite dog mushing family. His father, Dick Mackey, is a founding member and winner of the 1978 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Five years later, in 1983, Lance's brother Rick crossed the finish line in first place. Lance would have his turn beginning in 2007, and he would continue winning for three more years. In 2008 Lance became the first person ever to win not only the Iditarod, but Yukon Quest as well in the same year, a feat previously not thought to be possible. He would prove everyone wrong by doing it again in 2008.The victories accomplished were accompanied with great personal hardship. Diagnosed with cancer, Lance would spend a great deal of time and energy fighting the disease, conquering it only after radiation and surgery, which left his throat vulnerable to injury. He was advised by medical professionals to never race again, advice he refused to follow, and was quickly back on the sled. The Great Alone follows Lance on his 2007 and 2008 Iditarod victories. It highlights his deep bond with his dogs, the life he had before racing, and some of the personal issues within his family. The Great Alone does a fantastic job at shedding light on a sport few get the chance to truly be immersed in and what it means for not only the racers, but the Alaskan community as well.If you enjoy documentaries about dogs, sporting events, athletes, the wilderness, self-reliance, or simply would like to see a truly inspiring story, this documentary is all of those things. I personally have a great respect for Lance Mackey, not only for what he's accomplished, but how he accomplished it as well. He never seemed to lose focus on his love for his dogs or why he began racing to begin with. The cinematography is excellent and Lance's story is very well told. I was left feeling inspired and hope to someday see a sled-dog race in person.Lance Mackey is many things, but above all else he's a survivor.