Release: 2005
Director: Steve Pasvolsky
Writer: Steve Pasvolsky
Cast: Sean Kennedy, Richard Wilson, Ho Thi Lu
Ratings:
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% Audience
IMDb: 4.9/10
Netflix: 3 Stars
Review:
Extreme Sports movies are a hit and miss proposition as some hit in on the head and others completely miss. This one did not quite hit on the head but it was close enough to be enjoyable. Only if you can shut you brain off and just take in what is given is adoloscence mischief and horrible skater talk and action. I know that comes across as a harsh and some what back handed compliment. Which it is I just could not get into the movie.
Growing up I was into extreme sports and to this day I am as well. So watching this movie of a culture I know very well was hard to do. As it was a cliched filled movie that would have been more at home in the 80's instead of when this movie takes place. Which is modern day society where extreme sports are not looked at as a bad thing. But a celebrated event with them being in Olympics and the X-Games. Which for some reason this movie completely lost track off as the cops in this small Australian community are all against the "Skaters".
As they get blamed for everything in the city. Which is often not their fault or they are just doing what they do best. Which is skate and be free. Thankfully this pathetic story plot is small as the over zealous cop in the end gives in and lets them be them. While the other two plot's go very unfulfilled. So let's start with the drug using brother of Robert "Poker" Bernardi who stole from drug dealers and the get Poker invovled to find him and hopes of killing him. Only to be framed for the fire at the school.
Which in turn was of the silliest things in the movie. As it was set up staged and just a complete junk story line. The other was of Jay "Spasm: Filkins who was the diamond of the Deck Dogz as the entire group put his skating up on a pedastal as they went to Beach Bowl in order to meet Tony Hawk and impress him. All the while they are talking of this trick that he wants to do.
Then as he is doing it with the stupid cop in the way. His board breaks and he crushes his nuts. Which not only ends his story arc and leaves it completely shattered no pun intended. As he is arrested on the spot only to see the next scene where the drug dealers are being carted off to jail and the boys free. No closure no nothing really. All till the final scene which I feel so bad for Tony Hawk as he is forced to act and he just bombs it in this movie.
He wants to know how to get one of the Deck Dogz shirts and they tell him to do the sickest trick he can to get one. Which he does a 540 and then trades his board for the shirt that Spasm was wearing. The movie ends right after this scene with the kids cheering and going nuts for meeting Tony Hawk as the credits roll. I am not sure what it was about this movie that I hated most. Was it the story? Was it the bad acting? Or was it the fact that they had no idea about the culture of skating what so ever?
I honestly just think it was all three of them. As it just left me wanting more than what was given and for most fans of movies like this. They will let this fly as the movie is fun and likable. Sadly I could not and only give it a fleeting grade of 2 out of 5 stars.
My Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
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