Customer Reviews

Blue Crush [VHS]

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I walked into the theatre expecting a fun summer flick to bring me out of a very depressing, stress filled, health concerning summer. What I got was far beyond that! Having lived 22 of my 38 years in sunny beach towns, I was brought back to Life!!!
Yes- it was a little mindless storyline, but hey - how many surfers could handle something deeper?!? Isn't that who this was made for? I fell deep into the movie. Every scene had something I could relate to. I could smell the ocean, taste and feel the salty water dried on my skin. Feel the rush of a wipe out that is so intense you don't know up from down when you're being thrown spinning in the water; and coming up for air only to take another hit and get that water blown up your nose again! Then, when you finally get out, find major road rash on your face that is burning from the salt water. Surfers - are you relating to this? Anyone who has been there should. Surf Divas - your sex doesn't matter! Surfing is surfing! I have seen this movie four times and am now anxiously awaiting the release of the DVD. I am planning a huge Luau on it's release date. The acting was good (not great) and the storyline was cute but not what 'The Academy' looks for. But, don't tell me you didn't laugh at the "Pro Bowl" athletes more than once! Overall, everyone fell into their characters very well. However, if this movie doesn't at least get mentioned for cinematography ... there all crazy!! This is a definate 'feel good' movie. You can't help but sing along (great soundtrack) and yell "oh, wo, holy..." when it comes right down to it. Bottom Line - A Must See! Only you can decide for yourself.

I had planned to see this film simply because I have a deep interest in surfing. I think that it is a cool sport riding those fierce waves on nothing but a board. Must take tremendous athletic prowess, bravery and skill.

However I did not expect to like the movie itself. Given Hollywoods lousy track record lately (especially with stuff like this) I expected it to be another rubbishy teenage film.

Boy was I wrong!

Apart from the visuals (surfing and cinamatography). I was tremendously impressed that they decided to go so deep into the characters themselves. I especially like Anne Marie the main character. I thought that she was fine young woman. She was strong yet still flawed and vulnerable. I got the impression that she was a former wild child who was trying to do good. Trying to fill in the mother duties and see that her little sister went to college. Wanting to win the contest so that she could "pay her bills" on time every month. I found it really touching.

I also liked the female bonding between Anne Marie, Lena and Eden. They were like a family and looked out for each other. I found it far more real and noble than the promiscuous antics of the girls in "Sex and the City". They really loved and cared for one another. There was no cattiness or jealousy. Sure they fought but it was the kind of fighting you see among siblings who have disagreements. As opposed to see who would be #1 princess.

I found it really neat the way that at the end of the film all those young girls were gathering around Anne Marie in order to get her autograph. I think that she was a great role model. Sure she had problems, but the difference is between her and heroins in other in such movies is that she works through her problems and doesn't fluff them off. How refreshing!

The audience I saw it with were absolutely captivated. It was not one of those films where you can sense the restlessness of the audience, everyone was absolutely riveted.

Blue Crush is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. It will inspire you.

The first time I watched this movie, I was like, "Eh, it was ok." Then I watched it again. I began to notice little things that I had not paid attention to the first time. I really liked the feeling I got from the film. I felt like I could be apart of their world. It was just three young girls (4 counting the little sister) that were trying to live their lives. I thought the shots of the ocean were beautiful. This movie really makes me want to go there to see the beauty myself.

The film is about Anne Marie (Bosworth) and her struggle to succeed in the world as a surfer and a parental figure to her little sister Penny. She is training for the Pipemasters, a huge surfing contest. Her two best friends Lena (Lake) and Eden (Rodrigues) are her roomates and surfing buddies. Lena is a free spirited, "lets go surfing" girl. Eden is a tough, encouraging friend. They all work at a crappy job at a very nice hotel and resort. Penny is a young girl trying to grow up without a mom or dad... just an older sister and her two friends. While working in the hotel, Anne Marie notices Matt, an NFL quarterback, who she begins to date while trying to train for the competition.

All in all, this movie is one of my all time favorites because of its beauty and it's realistic story line. I loved it!

Most of the other reviews have gone into detail on the movie itself -- I'll focus mostly on the Blu-Ray content for this review.

Owning the film on DVD, I was excited to hear it was coming to blu-ray. Unfortunately, it got a pretty poor treatment but is still a step above the DVD release.

VIDEO: It's sad that in 2011, we're still getting poor/lazy transfers -- the Blue Crush DVD came in in early 2003 (8 1/2 years ago) - the Blu-Ray uses the same video transfer (benefiting from the increased resolution/space available on Blu-Ray). The DVD wasn't great (even for the time) as it suffered from edge enhancement ("Halos") throughout, due to over-sharpening. With the Blu-Ray using the same transfer, the edge enhancement is still there. Overall detail is better than the DVD (playing them both side by side on the same equipment, there is detail in the Blu-Ray that can't be seen on the DVD), but this is a minor amount (it feels like it's been artificially softened/noise-reduced, so a lot of detail seems to be missing) - the movie doesn't look that good on Blu-Ray, but is a slight improvement over the DVD. The other benefit coming from the lack of pixelation/blocks in the DVD. The disc comes on a 50GB disc, presented in 1.85:1.

AUDIO: This is where the improvement is -- audio is very good. The original DVD was going to have a DTS 5.1 track, but it was removed prior to release and replaced with a standard Dolby 5.1 track. The Blu-Ray comes with a very nice DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that IS a good upgrade.

EXTRAS: The original DVD had a bunch of extras - behind the scenes, music videos, featurettes, multiple commentaries, deleted scenes and more. ALL of these are missing from the Blu-Ray, replaced instead with BDLive and PocketBlu support (to control the DVD with your iPhone/iPad/Android). Very disappointing.

Overall, it's a disappointing release. It loses all the extras from the 8 1/2 year old DVD, it has only a slight improvement in video (but a good improvement in audio). Hard to recommend for anyone with the DVD -- even for someone wanting to buy the movie for the first time, it's hard to recommend when the DVD can be found for a buck whereas the Blu-Ray retails for 20. Even for fans, I'd have to suggest against upgrading.

Just think: yesterday my "list" (of the people my wife will theoretically allow me to go out with...) only had one name on it. (Liv Tyler, of course. Duh. ) But today I had to add another candidate, uber-hottie, surfer-model Sanoe Lake, who has one of the supporting roles in this sporty-teen surf flick. Sure, Sanoe doesn't actually do that much wave riding in this film, but as a cool-looking beach bum who stands around smiling that twinkly smile and being supportive of her pal the uber-surfer (played by Kate Bosworth) she definitely rocks my world. Seriously, though, this was a pretty fun film -- a sports saga that takes place on Oahu's treacherous North Shore (apparently the world's gnarliest surf beach). The plot involves a local gal who wants to help put female surfing on the map, despite the taunts of her macho male colleagues, and yet finds herself distracted from her destinly by a cute, sensitive, equally athletic studmuffin. Michelle Rodriguez -- who had a similar role in the less-fluffy boxing movie, "Girl Fight" -- is also on hand to cheer Bosworth on, as is the clean-cut himbo who plays her newfound, earnest young beau. I gotta say, the plots and directing on these new teen-triumph movies -- "Bring It On," "Save The Last Dance," etc. -- have gotten so much better in recent years... they're actually worth watching! And this film is a fine example of that trend. It's a thoroughly entertaining look at the booming surf subculture, with some awesome marine cinematography and a decent, well-paced story. Plus, all them gals are hella cute, in a pleasantly non-bimboed-out kinda way. A lot better than I expected it to be, and certainly worth checking out, especially if you're in the mood for something light.

The last movie I saw about surfing was "The Endless Summer" a sequel to the one made in 1960 or maybe older, I know I wasn't born yet. Anyway, this movie is more than about surfing, maybe even surfing is just a backdrop to the story. I really enjoyed the film because it didn't drag on, and the actresses were a delight to watch. Bosworth, Rodriquez, and Lake really blended well and made their characters believable. It is really about conquering your fears, believing in your friends and growing up fast. It is kinda sad that the movie portrayed most of the kids as marginally educated malingerers existing on this beautiful island waiting for the next perfect wave to hit. What else is there to do when you have paradise as your backyard? Well, this pretty much describes the three main characters but hey, this is Hawaii and this is about surfing. And having met Hawaiin expatriates, this is pretty much how it is growing up in the islands. That's why this movie works because as much as we are waiting for the big finale when Annemarie rides that big pipe and lives happily ever after, it also shows a lot about trying your best to grow up in a less than ideal situation. I also like the sub plot of the football player trying to romance the Bosworth character. She wanted to believe that this is Prince Charming coming to take her away, even though it was obvious that she's just another pretty face that came with the place. I wish the movie kept it this way. I thought it was a cop out that the movie ended with him turning into a Prince instead of the reality that these guys are just frogs no matter how many times you kiss them. It should have been good enough that Annemarie rode the big pipe and that's how she found her happy ending. Oh, well, I guess every movie has got to have its Hollywood ending.

The DVD has loads of extras including brief interviews with some of the best women surfers and a bit about the actresses, who never surfed before, had to learn quickly for the movie. It makes you wanna pick up a surf board and go chase a wave, on second thought. . . .

This rocks. I saw it first while in a S. CA surf shop (Hobie) where a bunch of teenage girls were watching it. I bought it for my 7 yr old surfer gal daughter. OK my 9yr old son likes it too. I love the positive and strong young female roles. Too many movies (all?) have young girls as secondary figures that are not strong or able to operate on their own - NOT this one!. My daugher and I enjoy watching it for the cool waves, the "easy" story and the true fun! Even though she is 7 she totally relates to the decisions the good girls and not so good girls are faced with and it is a great chance to cuddle, have fun and even open the topic of how to make the right choices while being a strong free minded young lady with looks, brains, determination, power and options!

Having seen the film "Blue Crush" several times, the DVD can only add to the pleasure with Director's commentaries and the usual added, interesting materials. "Blue Crush" is a film that's real. It is the essence of a life style that is both free and constraining. Director John Stockwell gets it just right, with three fine actresses all of which have great futures.
There is surprising depth and realism in the interrelationships between the characters and their environment, to say nothing of their passion for surfing and its associated life style.

It's well worth the watching...a fun and perceptive two hour ride!

Okay, the other reviews in this section make me extremely angry. It appears that no one has actually seen this film but me. I mean this literally. All the reviews here are for the 2002 Hollywood movie "Blue Crush", which was a FICTIONAL movie staring Kate Bosworth. The actual movie that is for sale here is the ORIGINAL Blue Crush, with pro surfers Megan Abubo and Rochelle Ballard. Kate Bosworth is NOT in this movie, contrary to the product description. THIS MOVIE, is a documentary about a group of professional female surfers, and takes place in the South Pacific (NOT HAWAII). It was a fantastic surf documentary, and a glimpse into the lives of these REAL professional surfers. So please, for the sake of surfers everywhere, DO NOT CONFUSE THIS MOVIE WITH THE HOLLYWOOD COPY OF THE SAME NAME!!!!!

A real suprise! A great end of summer treat! I really liked this movie because it just a great movie. It had action, romance, comedy and drama. It was the best movie I have seen in years. The three gals who stared it in were really good actors.