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Movies / On DVD / Step Into Liquid
Step Into Liquid

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Step Into Liquid (2003)

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Reviews Counted:76

Fresh:62

Rotten:14

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: A perfect companion piece to The Endless Summer.

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Sports/Recreation

Synopsis: If you've ever wondered what it would be like to ride at Pipeline, flirting on the edge of some of the ocean's most powerful and dangerous waves, then you're ready to Step Into Liquid. In this new... If you've ever wondered what it would be like to ride at Pipeline, flirting on the edge of some of the ocean's most powerful and dangerous waves, then you're ready to Step Into Liquid. In this new documentary, director Dana Brown finds that "the stoke" - the passion and elation that keeps surfers paddling back for more - can be found in some pretty unlikely places. Son of Bruce Brown, whose The Endless Summer and its sequel are the best known and most widely seen surfing films ever, Dana's perspective on surfing is a wholly unique one, and he has seen it go from flaky fad to international phenomenon. Moving far beyond the beaches of sunny Southern California, surfing now criss-crosses the globe, from Texas to Wisconsin, Ireland to Vietnam. Traveling to some of the hottest surfing spots in the world, Dana finds the real search isn't for the biggest tube or most radical ride, but instead uncovers and examines what it is about surfing that hooks people's souls, becoming integral to their lives in ways that far exceed a simple pastime. There are as many surfer stories to be found as there are surfers, such as the guy who hasn't missed a day in the water for over 27 years. Or the one eager to get back on his board even after a crippling accident. The film also pays notice to the rise of women in the sport, checks in on the subjects from The Endless Summer films, and follows one group of fearless surfers who head 100 miles from shore to ride some 60-foot-plus, once-every-ten-years waves. With stunning photography that puts the viewer right in the water with many of the best surfers of today, it's time to Step Into Liquid - to catch a wave and get stoked. [More]

Starring: Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow, Laird Hamilton, Rochelle Ballard

Starring: Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow, Laird Hamilton, Rochelle Ballard

Director: Dana Brown

Director: Dana Brown
Screenwriter: Dana Brown
Producer: John-Paul Beeghly
Composer: Richard Gibbs
Studio: Artisan Entertainment

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Reviews for Step Into Liquid

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
09/13/03
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
08/30/03
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

There are some novelties, like views of people surfing down sand dunes, but there's also far too much self-congratulation by surfers.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
08/07/03
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Too choppy and non-continuous.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/21/03
Donald J. Levit
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

[A] draggy, visually underwhelming portrait of contemporary surf culture.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
08/06/03
Ed Halter
Ed Halter
Village Voice

...the human subjects of Dana Brown's documentary don't have much to say. Everyone recites the same "Surfing's great" mantra.

Full Review Source: Sun Newspapers of Cleveland | comment Comment
09/13/03
Gerry Shamray
Gerry Shamray
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland

Because Brown comes off as propagandizing for surfing, it actually undermines his argument (if you can call it that).

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
08/07/03
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday

Produced with an insider's knowledge and affection, but surfing's moment as an exotic pop phenomenon with a big curiosity factor for landlubbers has passed...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
10/06/03
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Feels like an extended recruitment ad for surfing.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
08/29/03
Kim Morgan
Kim Morgan
Oregonian

Loaded with impressive IMAX-style shots but surprisingly skimpy on soul.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
08/30/03
Kim Morgan
Kim Morgan
Reel.com

The various segments of [Brown's] deeply uneven, globetrotting grab bag range from authentically uplifting to seriously silly.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
08/07/03
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

While Step Into Liquid has charming and even breathtaking moments, it definitely flags after the halfway point.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
08/22/03
Mary Brennan
Mary Brennan
Seattle Times

Essentially a long, handsomely filmed infomercial, it never removes its trembling lips from surfing's bronzed posterior, but it delivers enough of the goods visually that the choir it's preaching to shouldn't mind.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
08/07/03
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

[Director Dana Brown's] random approach lacks focus, and the interviews with surf champs and hobbyists don't explain the surfing mystique.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
09/26/03
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Has a flat look, blasé sound and dull colors

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
09/03/03
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

“Step Into Liquid” is not a documentary so much as a love letter from director Dana Brown to his sport of surfing.

Full Review Source: Zertinet Movies | comment Comment
09/10/03
Steven Snyder
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
01/19/04
Sunday Times (Australia)

Because it gets so close to the real thing, the film does a good job of letting even the most hopelessly landlocked viewers experience vicariously the unique allure and adrenaline rush of being one with a surging 60-foot wall of water.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
08/22/03
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

Step Into Liquid reminds you of those proselytizing efforts occasionally released by religious organizations that preach about life transformed by spiritual awakening.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
08/08/03
Barry Garron
Barry Garron
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
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