The Endless Summer 2 (1994)

Simply Perfect

Good movie but grossly overrated

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This is another shaggy, low-key Bruce Brown surf docu. Endless Summer 2 has a tone very much in keeping with the chill surf culture, giving you some interesting history and wrapping it all together with some well- choreographed surfing scenes. It is endlessly enjoyable.I remember this picture screening at a discount second-run house, and walking into the run-down downtown theatre simply to get out of the rain and kill some time before meeting some friends. Little did I know when I sat down that, by the end of this movie, I would totally flip for the sport and that this movie would be the impetus to get me surfing too. Endless Summer 2 is just a slight, breezy little picture, a DIY travelogue with great scenery, big waves and daring surfers, Most of all, it just made surfing look like it would be a whole lot of fun - like anyone could do it. And I am here to tell you, it really is fun... and you really CAN do it.There's plenty of other pictures that have dramatized the sport - Blue Crush, Point Break, In God's Hands, Chasing Mavericks etc - but this film is just a simple, pleasant 90 minutes that has a reverence for the sport, the power of nature and those who discover the world while in search of the next big pipeline. Be warned: this movie will encourage any landlocked viewer to ditch work and catch a wave, too.

ENDLESS SUMMER II was written, directed and edited by surfer-filmmaker Bruce Brown with his son Dana 30 years after Bruce created the original.ES2 has much the same "feel" as the original but the technical quality is on a higher level with a much bigger budget, bigger production staff and a studio and sponsors behind it from the get-go. Problem is NEW LINE CINEMA was in a state of transition when the ES2 was coming to market and it never got the promotion that any film needs. Although it was made in 1994, like many people, I never even knew it existed until I was surfing the internet in 2006.This "sequel" is quite comparable to the original and if you enjoyed that, you will definitely want to see this.The photography is absolutely spectacular – much of it actually better than the original - and many of the shots literally take the viewer right INSIDE and UNDER the waves.Fantastic surfing, great action, beautiful scenery, magnificent waves, gorgeous color, good soundtrack – what a treat – like a 2 hour mini-vacation.The original seems more authentic but this film is excellent as well.Pulling off all the necessary logistics and photographing this round-the-world adventure and including some of the best surfers on Earth was a major achievement and an entertaining one at that.There's a little too much real-life risk-taking the film - much of it OUT of the water "playing" with lions and clowning around at the top of a precipice near a waterfall. Nevertheless, the film makes a great armchair adventure for those of us who no longer surf. It also serves as a beautiful inspiration to those who do enjoy surfing or might want to try it. Just don't be as daring as these guys. They've been at it a long time and even with that, they come up with some nasty wounds along the way.Interesting too that one featured champion surfer is smart enough to wear a helmet surfing the big waves over coral reefs. I think there's a good lesson in that.

This movie is just great, I just can't get tired of watching it, scenery and beaches are just BEAUTIFUL, and also featuring my favorite surf legends, it's the best surf movie I've ever seen. Also pretty funny, what a nice way to travel the world and have fun in the same time!!!!!! I'm up for it anytime!!!!!

Whether you are a surfing guru or just a grommet, you'll love this film. Following in the footsteps of the friends that travelled the globe in search of the endless summer in Bruce Browns 1966 classic, Pat and Wingnut follow the surf from South America, through Africa, Indonesia and Australia. The photography is exceptional, the people they meet (Laird Hamilton, Jerry Lopez, Robert August to name but a few) fascinating, and the scenery incredible. Bruce Brown brings to the screen like no other can what is essentially an intraverted and elite lifestyle, and for the duration of the film, you feel a part of that life. It will leave you searching frantically on the internet for a longboard and a cheap flight to Fiji.