Customer Reviews

White Water Summer [VHS]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

a great film with laughs, drama, gorgeous scenery and a brilliant soundtrack. White Water Summer is a story of conflict; man against nature and man against man. It is about a city boy, Alan (played by Sean Astin) and four other boys going into the wilderness with their guide Vic (Kevin Bacon). Right from the beginning Alan is suspicious of Vic and so Vic begins to target him, leaving him to cross a dodgy bridge over a 180ft gorge and leaving him hanging off the edge of a cliff.
Bacon makes a fantastic baddie and Astin is, as usual, brillant as a cute geeky Alan who has to grow up fast and protect himself from their psycho tour guide....
this film did not exactly get rave reviews from critics but the key is not to take it too seriously. White Water Summer is fun and great entertainment and I'd recommend it for a good watch anytime!

This video is definitely a child of the 1980s. The clothing, the lingo, even the actors (Sean Astin to name one) are products of that unforgetable decade. The movie involves a summer wilderness adventure of several boys, and their counselor (Kevin Bacon) basically goes psycho on them. The movie is full of emotion as well as breath-taking scenery (the majority of the movie takes place in the forest, surrounded by pine trees and lakes). The plot is a great in-depth study into the human subconscious as well as the bravery and trials of adolescence. The movie will be a gem for anyone who has ever been a teenager and who has ever been camping in the rugged wilderness! Definitely worth a watch!

OK--so it's not a great film theatrically--who cares? This is one of the few films out there that fulfills that need to see the great outdoors. Sadly, Hollywood is pathetic when it comes to making movies about outdoor adventure and the common "Joe" (except for "The Edge", "The River Wild" and "Cliffhanger" to name a few). The classic 80's soundtrack featuring The Cult, Bruce Hornsby, and others make it even better... This movie is a part of my childhood memory, and for a long time was impossible to get, because it was out of print on VHS. I was so excited to learn it was being released on DVD with new packaging. I will definitely be buying it.

If you liked Goonies, and are yearning for more 80's style adventure, you'll probably like this film. I like Sean Astin, and in general, I'm a fan of 80's style adventure movies. They weren't serious, pretentious things, like "Bourne Identity" or "Patriot Games". This movie isn't sensationalistic. If you love the outdoors, and liked camping and having adventures when you were a kid, this movie may remind you of your youth. The scenery is great and the music fits well and is actually mixed well as far as levels. Overall it's got pretty good production values. I probably wouldn't turn the lights down, crank up the THX and watch this film. It's more the type of film you watch over and over while doing something else, or while falling asleep. Which isn't to say it's boring, it's more like a comfortable old T-shirt you can wear again and again. It makes me want to go camping, swing from ropes, and play with pocket knives.

Sorry ya'll but in my opinion I think this movie is awesome and I think Kevin Bacon looks great as a creepy guy. His character looked creepy in Sleepers. He does a fantastic job playing it! I think he's a good actor but the rest of the guys didn't do a great job but it's still a good 80's flick. If you hadn't seen this movie yet go rent it or buy it. You will enjoy it. It does come on HBO or TNT a lot so you can try to catch it on those channels. Like I said this movie is awesome and it does deserve a 5 star rating!

"White Water Summer" cannot be accused of being a great film. It's got its silly moments, unbelievable moments, and downright psychotic moments. My wife first introduced me to this film a few years ago and ever since that time, I've never been able to pass it up when it's on the satellite. It's just fun to watch and reminds me of a cool time in my life (that being the 80's).

It stars a young Kevin Bacon and an even younger Sean Astin. Both are excellent in their roles. Bacon must have been studying up for his future psychotic role in "The River Wild" with this film. He plays Vic, a not-all-there, hopefully well-meaning but very unlikeable camp guide who takes Astin and three other city kids into the wild in order to teach them about themselves. The supporting cast is headed up by Matt Adler ("Teen Wolf," among other 80's classics), K.C. Martel (best known as one of Kirk Cameron's buds on "Growing Pains," and Jonathan Ward ("Steel Magnolias" and "Charles In Charge"). Although all three of these guys are recognizable, they've almost always played supporting characters.

The story, as stated previously, is about Vic taking four city boys on an adventure in the wilderness. Astin narrates this tale about becoming a man over the summer. Bacon's character is hard to place. At first, he comes across as a "tough love" advocate, but then he becomes a wee bit crazy. Almost immediately the other boys separate themselves from Astin, with Ward sometimes sticking up for him. In the end, however, all of them have to come together in order to save Bacon's life.

The film has a great 80's soundtrack featuring Journey, Cutting Crew, and other rockers from the decade of excess.

Overall, not the greatest film around, but it does fit the bill as a nostalgic tale sure to bring back wonderful memories. Parents should be warned that there is a lot of bad language in this flick. Astin even drops an "F" bomb, so be sure to monitor any kids with you. I'm sure this film would have gotten a PG-13 rating had it come out just a few years later.

Recommended to fans of old 80's flicks who still remember watching some of these films when they were young.

I rented this movie a couple of weeks ago because I remember seeing the ending of this movie on TV so I wanted to see the whole thing. The movie was actually pretty good.

The movie is about a boy named Alan(Sean Astin) who goes camping with Vic(Kevin Bacon) and 3 other boys and Vic is taking these boys out here to teach them the ways of the wilderness. Things start out pretty well but Vic then starts to push the boys too hard, especially Alan. Vic is trying to teach the boys the best he can but his ways of doing it are a bit rough on the kids. Should the kids stay and be tought by Vic, or should they try to go home? him.

I gave the movie 3 stars because some parts of the story were unclear or they weren't very good. But the good points of the movie were the scenery, the music and the action. If you are in to action movies then watch this one!!

I just love this movie because of the simple fact that you can watch it over and over and never get tired of it! It's really one of the classic 80's movies.......maybe not the most popular, but who really cares? If you want to watch a movie filled with plot, adventure, scenery and everything else in between, then purchase the DVD!

I would recommend this video to anyone who likes their drama with a hint of danger, frustration and ultimate victory of man and nature. I think Sean Astin is especially good in his role (your heart goes out to him) Kevin Bacon is also very good (your heart does not go out to him) Try it you'll like it!

What can you say about summer that this movie hasn't? The true test of a classic is how it holds up over time and 20 years later this movie strikes the same chords it did when I was a child. From the sarcastic nerdy kid to the overbearing psychotic tour guide and all their differences. This movie proves that even something like attempted murder can be overcome and true bonding can take place.