Ultimate X review

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Style, skill and balls of steel - that's pretty much all you'd need to do a back flip, 50 feet in the air, on a motorbike. And this is just one example of what the athletes in the X Games - the extreme sports version of the Olympics - get up to in Ultimate X.

Filmed during the 2001 Games in Philadelphia, this IMAX documentary follows competitors in various events, including Street Luge, BMX Stunt, Moto X and Skateboarding. Their incredible stunt work is then intercut with comments from the audience, the crew behind the games and the adrenalin-fuelled nutters who pass for the athletes themselves.

But, at a mere 40 minutes in length, the emphasis is definitely on the action, with slow-motion and split screens adding to the buzz. Fast-moving shots following the street luges on their downhill race are particularly exhilarating, but it's seeing the competitors smash spectacularly that really lives in the memory.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

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