Storm Surfers 3D (Justin McMillan, Chris Nelius,2012:) Austraila

Reviewed by Steve Mccomb. Viewed at the Arlington Theater.

This film was all about surfing big waves. The movie was shot and viewed in 3D and the ocean photography was was very beautiful.

I think most surfers would enjoy this film. The film followed two surfing legends, Tom Carrol and Ross-Clark Jones  chasing the biggest waves that they could find. They focused on finding big waves that had never been ridden ( sort of a virgin big wave search). The film took place in southern Australia, Tasmania, and around the southern hemisphere.  The winter storms in that part of the world bring cold and powerful swells.  I found the sheer size and power of the waves along with the stormy grey cold weather invigorating to watch. I also found the 3D format annoying and wishing I could shut that part off.

This movie was very different than most of the competitive surf films I’ve seen. Because Tom and Ross are already heroes in the surf world the focus was not on them and their ability to surf as much as it was on the hunting down of the waves.

One scene that stands out to me was when Toms 9 year old daughter was saying goodbye to her daddy before he went out to risk his life to surf a giant wave. The movie touched on the fact that Tom thought about the risks he was taking and what it could mean to his family if he were hurt or killed. The film didn’t touch on Ross’s family life but he didn’t seem as worried about taking risks as Tom did.

I liked the narration on this film. Tony Colett was in “Muriels Wedding” and I loved her in it so it was nice to have a familiar voice narrating the movie.

I would recommend this film to anyone who loves the ocean or surfing.