Riding Giants Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Riding Giants Blu-ray Movie Review

Another righteous Blu-ray release from Sony.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 6, 2010

It becomes so important to you that it becomes the object around which you plan the rest of your life.

"Culture" and "community" are words that are found in dozens, if not hundreds, of endeavors, whether speaking at a basic level on a collective shared heritage and a group of peoples living in proximity, or any number of like-minded individuals that come together from countless identifiable "cultures" and "communities" to participate together in and discuss ad infinitum shared interests. Firearms, favorite authors, music, clothes, pets, and sports are but classes of activities and objects underneath which are many dozens more sub-layers that can be classified as having identifiable and unique followings arranged in "cultures" and "communities." One such niche that falls under several possible categories -- sport, recreation, and lifestyle, for instance -- is the culture of surfing and the community of surfers, both of which are the subject of the excellent 2004 documentary film Riding Giants, an easygoing glimpse into the modern history of the activity and the people, places, and things that have come to define it over the past several generations.

Surf's up.

Opening with a brief history of the earliest years of surfing -- including its founding in Hawaii, its banishment by Calvinist missionaries, and its resurgence in the early 20th century -- Riding Giants moves on to look at the history of modern surfing through the eyes of three greats and a trio of the most renowned surfing spots in the world. Starting with the legendary Greg Noll, who in 1948 found himself immersed in the sport, the documentary recounts his exploits at Waimea Bay and the birth of "Big Wave" surfing, while intermittently entwining information about advances in technology to make boards lighter and smaller, the birth of the surfing culture and the origins of the "beach bum," and the influence of the film Gidget that greatly multiplied the number of surfers seemingly overnight. Riding Giants also introduces viewers to Jeff Clark, the man who for 15 years surfed the famous Mavericks in Northern California by himself before he could convince anyone else of the spot's stature as a premiere surfing destination for big waves, bigger, even, than those at Waimea Bay. Finally, the film focuses on Laird Hamilton, a modern-day surfer influenced by the greats of the Big Wave era and his contributions to tow-in surfing, particularly at Maui's Pe'ahi reef.

Riding Giants is of a visual style and feel that's reflective of both its subject material and the personalities of the individuals interviewed therein. Director Stacy Peralta (Dogtown and Z-Boys) injects the film with a consistently breezy and light tone that's complimented by a wonderful array of visuals both new and old, all brought together by the film's strongest asset, the participation of some of surfing's biggest legends. Greg Noll in particular defines the film, more so than any other participant or wave-drenched imagery. Noll may be past his physical prime, but the world-famous surfer certainly isn't gun-shy when it comes to speaking his mind as he recalls the good, the bad, and the ugly both through his experiences as a surfer and the state of the culture both then and now. A surfer through and through, Noll's occasionally profanity-ridden monologues nevertheless capture the heart and the soul of surfing quite unlike any other individual depicted in Riding Giants. Indeed, Riding Giants effortlessly captures a broad spectrum of emotions as they relate to the sport, whether the rush of surfing that big wave or coping with the lives lost to the unforgiving and powerful forces of nature that surfers face every time they step onto their boards and paddle out into the ocean blue.

Riding Giants Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Riding Giants is a film that's cobbled together from a myriad of sources and of varying degrees of quality, and Sony's 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer is reflective of the source material included in the film. Noisy, grainy, and featuring plenty of pixelation, banding, and random artifacts, the image is consistently rough but nevertheless true to filmmaker intent. Much of the footage was shot with amateur equipment over the course of decades, and the rough-around-the-edges look only adds to the film's appeal and mystique; Sony has wisely left every imperfection intact and viewers need not worry that there's something wrong with the disc itself. Much of the newer footage -- generally static interview clips -- do indeed look "better" but often retain a somewhat messy, grainy appearance so as to better fit with the remainder of the imagery. Interview clips with the three primary subjects -- Noll, Clark, and Hamilton -- clearly benefit the most from the high definition treatment but soft edges, a lack of pristine detail, slightly muted color, and moderate grain often sneak into the frame. Overall, Riding Giants seems to perfectly capture Director Stacy Peralta's intent, and this is, then, another strong and natural Blu-ray transfer from Sony.

Riding Giants Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This Blu-ray release of Riding Giants features a high quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The film's opening scene is one of exceptional contrast; seagulls fly about innocently enough, floating from one speaker to the next and engendering a sense of absolute calm and relaxation that's suddenly interrupted by a powerful crashing wave that overpowers the listening area as it spills through the room and with a rush of energy from the subwoofer. It's the most dazzling sonic moment in the film, but there is still no shortage of aural goodness to be found throughout. Many of the sound effects -- some of which seem added in after the fact for dramatic effect and in a complimentary role to some of the older footage -- play with a seamless tone, crashing waves in particular strong and invigorating but not devastating or overpowering. The film's excellent soundtrack is cowabunga good, too; no matter the beat -- hard rock or classic surf tunes from the golden era of the genre -- are delivered with wonderful clarity, the rock beats in particular penetrating the listening area with an aggressive posture that fits right in with the film's visual tone and themes. Rounded out by sound dialogue reproduction, Riding Giants is another sonic winner from Sony.

Riding Giants Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Riding Giants paddles onto Blu-ray with a nice assortment of extras. First up are two commentary tracks, the first with Director/Narrator Stacy Peralta and Editor/Producer Paul Crowder. They offer a fine collection of comments, speaking on the scope of the production, the effort to make the visuals and sound larger than life, the soundtrack and sound design, the participation of Greg Noll, the assemblage of the footage, searching for the right pacing and mood, and much more. There's plenty here that's reflective of both the surfing culture and the filmmaking process; fans of both will want to give this one a chance. Track two features Co-Writer Sam George and Surfers Greg Noll, Jeff Clark, and Laird Hamilton. Surprisingly, this one's not quite as active and energetic as those who have seen the film and come to know the personalities might expect. Discussions do again range between technical surfing jargon and filmmaking techniques, and there's a relaxed, easygoing feel to the proceedings. This track is better suited to the tastes of surfing historians and aficionados.

The Making of 'Riding Giants' (480p, 28:04) is an excellent piece that looks at how the film came about, beginning with Director Stacy Peralta's fascination with Greg Noll's personality and the evolution of the project from an initial interview for a different venture. The feature contains a wide collection of interview pieces with the cast and crew who speak on the look of the film, the nontraditional documentary approach utilized in the film, the process of collecting data and interviewing the subjects, the formation of a narrative, the importance of music to the film, the discovery and assemblage of the archival footage, and much more. Fuel TV's Blue Carpet Special (480p, 20:21) offers an extended look at the film's premiere at Hollywood's Egyptian Theater, intermixed with interview pieces and scenes from the film. Also included are five deleted scenes (480p, 15:45), BD-Live functionality, and 1080p trailers for Ghostbusters, The Da Vinci Code, Michael Jackson's This is It, 2012, Armored, and The Stepfather.

Riding Giants Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Riding Giants' visuals and thematic tone easily reflects the culture of surfing and the community of the crazy brave that live for the rush of finding and mastering the perfect wave. The enthusiasm amongst the surfing legends shines throughout, and Director/Narrator Stacy Peralta's superb documentary reflects the mood of the culture with every frame through the combination of exciting visuals, steady narration, and the influx of music. A documentary for both longtime surfers and audiences that have never once set foot on a board alike, Riding Giants enthralls viewers with a fascinating journey into a culture that's quite unlike any other and quintessentially fun. Sony's Blu-ray release is rock-solid, featuring a true-to-the-many-sources 1080p transfer, a strong lossless soundtrack, and a fine helping of bonus features. Totally recommended, dudes.