tnrcooper 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.

RNMorton Bruce Brown made (in my book) some of the most entertaining movies ever, most of which happened to be about surfing. Son Dana gives it a college try with mixed results. The quality, subjects, waves and angles of the surfing photography are fantastic. But this is definitely a different experience from Pop's work, which was largely visual (he started out doing them in a hall with live commentary over his video). Dad had cool shots with good instrumental music and frequent light humor. A pleasant 1 1/2 hour interlude with no place it had to be that sort of wrapped up whenever. Step Into is a much more polished, "busier" film -- louder music with vocals, tons of interviews, much more a serious documentary about the surfing life. Problem is, Dana brings some of dad's elements with him (like the constant narration) and I don't think it works as a whole. It doesn't take that much to make me happy with a surfing film, I adore the recent, pure and simple Thicker Than Water (2000). This one just has too much stuff I don't want. I tried watching it again and after a few minutes popped one of dad's old films in the VCR (sorry). Because I can't completely knock a movie that lets Gerry Lopez talk and has Laird Hamilton doing 50 foot waves I give it an 8 out of 10.

Doghouse-6 This is a film about people who have found that "one thing" that Jack Palance talks about in "City Slickers." I've never cared much one way or the other about surfing, but I can appreciate the commitment, passion, artistry, daring and athletic achievement embodied in the denizens of the sport that this film presents, all of it captured in some stunning and bravura cinematography.The joyous fulfillment and camaraderie radiated by the exuberant folks in this film is infectious. How many people are really fortunate enough to have found a singular, driving passion that becomes central to their entire existence? Too few, I fear. It's something you can't help but envy and - especially when it involves such sublime and spectacular abilities - admire.Do give this one a try. Unless you're part of the culture this film portrays, you're sure to see (and maybe even feel) some things you never have before.

thecineman Like watching top notch aerial trapeze artists or gifted dancers, beholding the world's best surfers riding momentous 20 to 60 foot waves is a thoroughly entertaining, at times mesmerizing experience. The young masters of this sport display consummate athleticism, not to mention courage, abandon, an ultimate level in the pursuit of thrills, rivaled perhaps only by the most difficult reaches of alpine skiing. In this film, Brown extends the tradition initiated 37 years ago by his father, Bruce Brown, who made the first great surfer film, "The Endless Summer," released in 1966. There are interesting contrasts between the two movies. "Endless Summer" was a simple, lyrical ode to the pleasures of youth, following two young amateur surfers as they sought the adventure of new surfs at beaches around the world. A road movie propelled by waves. The music was soft and easy and had continuity, and Brown pere's narration was full of adolescent good humor. "Liquid" is more complex in several senses. It's structure is one of brief separate surfing stories, and it features a larger number of surfers, several of them seasoned pros. It is a more political film as well, setting two of its stories in Vietnam and Ireland, where, Brown suggests, teaching some kids to surf may help right the world's wrongs. It is definitely more techie. Surfers launch into the biggest waves in Hawaii and on the Cortez Bank after being towed into position by large jet ski rigs, analogous to helicopter skiing. Some surfers use a most peculiar hydrofoil board contraption, the stability of which defies simple logic. Technical achievements in filming abound as well. The film also puts a face on danger, featuring in one episode a young man rendered quadriplegic by a surfing accident.Professionalization, politics, technology, danger. Clear and present overtones in the culture of our times. It follows that, overall, the biggest contrast between the films lies in the seriousness of "Liquid." For all of its narrative allusions to pure fun as the main goal of a surfer's life, and occasional antics that amuse (surfing in Sheboygan, Michigan for one), there is a pervasive earnestness in the stories. Simple fun in 2003 is harder to purchase than it was in flower child times. We are now less innocent. Still, if you liked the original (I have seen it at least three times), you will find this one absorbing as well. What's really fun is to see it in a theater like I did, surrounded by aging (former?) surfers whose laughter helps balance the film's somewhat somber tone.