Step Into Liquid (2003)

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Absolutely the worst movie.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

An affectionately narrated documentary about big waves and the courageous surfers who take them on. We visit some of the world's top meccas for the sport, like Oahu's awe-inspiring "Pipeline," and less-well-frequented spots, such as the Great Lakes and a Texas tanking lane.We meet some surfing stars, like buff and model-handsome Laird Hamilton, as well as less-likely aficionados, including an American war vet who returns to Vietnam to introduce underprivileged kids there to the pleasures of wave-riding.As expected, we see stunning footage of the ocean's power to create daunting curls. And it does leave you wondering how surfers make it back to shore. Indeed, we meet a young man whose neck was broken while surfing and observe how he still tackles the waves -- by lying prone on his board -- with the help of a few of his friends.This is a feel-good film about adults who still frolic amid the glories of nature. They set an excellent example for us all.

I saw this film in the theater when it was released and absolutely loved it. I don't surf but have always wanted to. I watched the film again on my computer and that only doubled my desire again, to want to surf.Director Dana Brown-whose father Bruce directed the legendary surfing film "Endless Summer"-captures the "stoke" (passion) felt by surfers in places as varied as Vietnam and Wisconsin. The movie is not complicated. Brown visits various places where a variety of not-necessarily-typical-surfer-types (along with legendary big wave surfer Laird Hamilton) pursue their passion. We hear from long-time buddies surfing in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, we see surfers in the Gulf of Mexico surfing behind the swell left by supertankers, and we follow Dana to Vietnam where his crew tracks the surfers at one of two surfing clubs in that country. It is hard to communicate how surfing makes one feel and it is a challenge for Brown. Nonetheless, he tries and I felt I appreciated how much the surfers enjoyed what they were doing, regardless of the size or the waves' origins. The surfing footage is fantastic and the joy felt by surfers is impossible to dislike. The pure joy felt by surfers is a welcome respite from the troubles of the world and Brown captures it expertly.

Dana Brown, the son of legendary film maker Bruce Brown, continues the family tradition with his own take on the world of people that are totally committed to ride those waves, no matter where. In a way, this is another installment in the way Brown sees the world of the surfers as he takes us all over the world to show us what people will do in order to discover the perfect wave, and ride it.The brilliant cinematography is amazing to watch. Things obviously have improved greatly since Bruce Brown pioneered this genre of documentary. We get glimpses of Oahu, with its rugged coast and giant waves. We are taken to places like Rapa Nui, Ireland, Viet Nam and even Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where we had no idea people will go to their rough lake to surf! Someone made a comment about the title being pretentious, but in reality, the line comes right from one woman that is being interviewed and says she feels like "stepping into liquid" whenever she is surfing.The film is beautiful to watch. It could have used some editing, but in general Dana Brown ought to be congratulated by what he has captured on camera for fans of the sport and just plain folks that will be, no doubt, wowed by what they see on the screen.

That was pretty much the conversation in our living room watching this film. That, plus five minutes into the film, I turned to my wife and said "Our jobs suck."The Browns have done an incredible job of showing everyone else how leisure can turn into passion, how simple water can inspire people to reach heights they never thought possible, how a boy and his dog can do what they love and achieve like never before, how fun can make the world go round. As a scientist I am dumbfounded by the grace created by water and muscle, by the foil boards ( I see it and I know why it should work and I still don't believe it) and by how plain old people can do something this beautiful.See it. Buy it. Play it every so often. Then go to the beach and have fun.