Friday, April 15, 2005

Review: Riding Giants



If I took the time to review all the movies I watch, there wouldn't be time for much else, but this one really stands out so it gets special treatment.

I had wanted to see this because SigO and I each have a soft spot in our hearts for surf films, and I was not at all disappointed. I found myself wanting to buy a copy of this to share with my (as yet unborn) kids so that they could feel my awe and love of the beach and the ocean and understand how compelling it can be.

I haven't seen any other Stacy Peralta films, but now I really want to. The structure worked, the animation and 3-D shots they used to fill gaps in the history of surfing were fantastic... I felt the cynic thinking "Of course Laird Hamilton is portrayed as a god, he's an executive producer", but the visuals overwhelm that kind of thinking. I can only imagine what it must have been like on the big screen.

This all comes from a non-surfer, by the way, I don't actually count bodysurfing. Just a beach lover who's spent a week a year on the shores of North Carolina for most of her life. If everything goes well, I'll get to retire near the water somewhere.

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