Step Into Liquid
takes us from the terrifying monstrous waves of Oahu's North Shore
to the Texas waters of the Gulf Of Mexico (where waves are created
by massive oil supertankers) to the
shores of Ireland
and Rapa Nui. Told through the voices of legends, pros and
everyday surfers alike, it is not just a film for surfers, but for
anyone with an appreciation
for sport and an
inkling of what it means to be "stoked."
CRITIQUE
Step Into Liquid
is a very nice documentary about surfing, but also about culture
and people. Director and narrator Dana Brown interviews many
people for the film, some make surfing their life, others make it
their job, and the rest surf for the fun and excitement of riding
the perfect wave. But don't they all surf for those exact reasons?
Why, yes. Some of the people interviewed here are Laird Hamilton,
Alex Knost, Chris Malloy, Dan Malloy, Keith Malloy, Shawn Barron,
Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow, Ken Collins, Keala Kennelly, Rochelle
Ballard, and. Layne Beachley. They're all from different
backgrounds, but also have things in common, and not just the urge
to surf.
The film showcases
surfing in many great ways, locations, and cultures. As stated,
the film follows surfing around the globe, from Malibu to
Thailand, Mexico to Ireland, etc. Surfing happens almost
everywhere when there are waves. As documented in the film, a
group of people drive out to the ocean by boat to catch waves from
supertankers, usually giving them uninterrupted freedom to surf
for three minutes at a time. At another stage in the film, we see
the use of a foil board allows the surfer to literally fly one
foot above water. The sight of this is amazing, thanks in large
part to the film's amazing cinematography. The camera is right
there in the middle of the wave, catching the surfer and his/her
ability to navigate the water up close.
With all its great
imagery and interesting human interest elements, Step Into
Liquid is also a bit dragging. A number of scenes show the
same thing over and over, sometimes from different camera angles
for effect. But I think the film, at a rate of 87 minutes,
could've lost approximately ten or so minutes and it would've been
a more well-balanced, paced documentary. Sometimes Dana Brown's
narration repeats itself, only in different words. Despite this,
Step Into Liquid remains a good documentary with great images to
impress the viewer. The music used is very nice also.
THE VIDEO
Artisan presents Step Into
Liquid in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are bright
and well-saturated, while sharpness looks only okay. Compression
artifacts do not appear, but very slight grain makes its way
into several scenes, as well as mild edge enhancement. Some
footage looks a bit soft, but most footage, especially the
surfing scenes, is presented strongly with crisp and
well-defined quality. Disc 2 allows for the film to be played on
the computer in Windows Media High-Definition, the quality
looking excellent. Optional subtitles include English and
Spanish.
THE AUDIO
Artisan presents Step Into
Liquid in English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound. Much of the
soundtrack is emitted by the front speakers, although they do a
good job of bringing out the dialogue, music, and sound effects.
Some dynamic range is evident during portions of the score and
songs. Surrounds are used sparingly, the presentation not able
to immerse the listener. The interviews remain clear and easy to
understand, however. A French dub
track is also available.
THE EXTRAS
The DVD offers a
nice set of extras from the looks of it. The DVD intro
lasts only for 20 seconds, but Dana Brown's audio commentary
is feature-length. In his discussion he goes into the background
of various surfers and locations, and recalls certain
experiences during the making of the film. The talk is somewhat
low-key, but interesting most of the time. An above average
track.
Let's Go
Surfing (13:11), hosted by Wingnut and Maureen Drummy, is a
nice featurette about surfing lessons. Capturing the Wave
(13:19) takes a look at the amazing photography of the film. The
featurette includes additional surfing/underwater footage and a
nice set of interviews with the photographers and Dana Brown.
The Making of a Surfboard (8:29) offers an interesting look
at how they're actually done, from design to painting and from
wetting the cloth to polishing. Passion for Liquid
(14:24) is self-explanatory in that it covers the passion of
surfing from the points of view of various interview subjects,
including Brown.
The deleted
scenes/alternate footage contains Dana's Angels
(2:14), a spoof-of-sorts featuring the three women surfers from
the film, Dirtboarding (1:40), Surfing Rabbi
(6:46), Long & Uncut (6:04), and Scenics (4:35).
The Interviews section offers eight different segments
including Dana Brown (6:37), Bruce Brown, Robert "Wingnut"
Weaver, Robert August, Sam August, Jim and Alex Knost, Maureen
Drummy, and Peter Townsend.
Additional extras
on disc 1 include two Surfline features (text-based
Surfing Etiquette: Bill of Rights and Lefts and Surf
Glossary), the film's theatrical trailer (1:57),
music montages (for the songs "Only One" and "Windshield
Wipers") Red Carpet Highlights (11:28) provided by Fuel,
a trailer gallery (The Punisher, House of the
Dead, Keep Your Eyes Open), a disc 2 preview,
and DVD credits.
Disc
2 features cool DVD-ROM material, including the film playable in
High-Definition on your PC, the full version of Kelly
Slater's Pro Surfer video game, a Satellite Imagery Tour
that visits the surfing locations from the film in a 3-D fly-through
combining satellite images with really cool special effects (this is
very cool stuff), the Robert August Surfboard Outfitter interactive
feature (customize your own board), Surfcams and Webcams,
an HD Trailer Gallery (T2 Extreme DVD trailer and more),
Surfing links, and more!
The
87-minute feature is organized into twenty-two chapters.
The disc comes in an Amaray keepcase with an insert listing
chapter selections, instructions for Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
video game, and one or two ads.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Step Into Liquid
is a nice documentary about surfing, culture, and different people. It
combines all three elements to tell some good human interest stories.
Several dragging spots could've been cut, but the amazing surfing
footage make up for this dispute a bit. Video/audio quality is good,
and the wealth of supplemental features are both informative and
appreciated. A recommended rental. Those who enjoy surfing or are
interested in it would do well to make a purchase.
