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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
Reviews for Step Into Liquid
There are some novelties, like views of people surfing down sand dunes, but there's also far too much self-congratulation by surfers.
[A] draggy, visually underwhelming portrait of contemporary surf culture.
...the human subjects of Dana Brown's documentary don't have much to say. Everyone recites the same "Surfing's great" mantra.
Because Brown comes off as propagandizing for surfing, it actually undermines his argument (if you can call it that).
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...
Loaded with impressive IMAX-style shots but surprisingly skimpy on soul.
The various segments of [Brown's] deeply uneven, globetrotting grab bag range from authentically uplifting to seriously silly.
While Step Into Liquid has charming and even breathtaking moments, it definitely flags after the halfway point.
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.
[Director Dana Brown's] random approach lacks focus, and the interviews with surf champs and hobbyists don't explain the surfing mystique.
“Step Into Liquid” is not a documentary so much as a love letter from director Dana Brown to his sport of surfing.
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.
Step Into Liquid reminds you of those proselytizing efforts occasionally released by religious organizations that preach about life transformed by spiritual awakening.
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