Storm Surfers 3D Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Storm Surfers 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Two best mates, one goal: to face nature head on...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 9, 2013

Ross Clarke-Jones and Tom Carroll may not be household names, but in the world of professional surfing, the Australian big wave pro-surfers are legends. Amateurs quake at 10-foot waves, Clarke-Jones and Carroll aren't satisfied with anything less than 25. And even 25 is a breezy walk in the park for the New South Wales daredevils, whose Storm Surfers documentary follows the duo as they track, chase and surf in the fury of enormous storms in the Great Southern Ocean. Fortunately, you needn't be versed in record-setting swells and tow-in techniques to find co-directors Justin McMillan and Christopher Nelius' award-winning documentary a simple but gripping real-world account of man vs. nature.

"It's a gamble, but it's worth it. It's so worth it. I'm still looking for that wave that's gonna say, that's enough... I'm done. That's the biggest wave you're ever gonna ride, so just sit down, relax, and enjoy the rest of your life. But I just haven't found that wave yet."

With the help and know-how of storm tracker and surf forecaster Ben Matson, Clarke-Jones and Carroll plunge headfirst into a series of increasingly frightening, ludicrously deadly waves, defying good sense and self-preservation to thrilling ends. When Carroll disappears beneath the water, it's unbelievably tense; when Clarke-Jones scans the surface for his friend, it offers a small glimpse into the very real danger the two face in accomplishing what many would dismiss as a fool's errand. But there's never much sense to be had in the story of someone overcoming the impossible and shaking their fist in the face of mother nature. Is there a reason to climb a mountain, other than to reach the top? Was there any particular reason Norwegian Roald Amundsen made his way across Antarctica in 1911, other than to stand at the South Pole? Must surfers like Clarke-Jones and Carroll quantify or rationalize their drive? Motivation? Desire? They set out to surf something that had never been surfed. Why? Because there was something out there, 75 kilometers from shore, and it had never been surfed. Storm Surfers makes it possible to live vicariously through other men's insanity, and it does so with raw, fairly unassuming style.

No, it isn't the most riveting or revealing documentary, and yes, the 3D tack-on is little more than a gimmick. But there's nothing gimmicky about the quest for the ultimate wave, and nothing gimmicky about the professional, recreational and family lives of the men chasing after it. Storm Surfers spends a lot of time introducing Clarke-Jones and Carroll, unpacking their passions and priorities both on and off the surfboard. It's a nicely rounded narrative, even if there isn't much in the way of depth or landlocked drama, and only the hyper-histrionics at sea feel a tad forced, as if the filmmakers thought the towering waves somehow weren't terrifying enough. Each production misstep or over-reach is easy enough to overlook, thankfully, leaning on the surfers to tell their own tales and the photography to convey the enormity of the challenge before them. Moreover, surfers and armchair wave-riders will certainly appreciate appearances from the likes of Paul Morgan, Mark Mathews, Paul Paterson and 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater, so the doc certainly knows how to play its cards right. Will Storm Surfers grab hold of anyone who isn't already interested in surfing? Perhaps, if given a fair shot. For anyone with the least bit of interest in surfing, though, it's a documentary that isn't going to let go anytime soon.

Storm Surfers 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

There isn't a whole lot to love about the film's 1080p/MVC-encoded 3D presentation. The scenes at sea weren't shot using HD cameras or high-end equipment, and countless issues -- severe aliasing, ringing, banding, video noise, macroblocking, color bleeding, and other vicious, at-times debilitating anomalies -- plague scenes involving the main attraction: Clarke-Jones and Carroll's surfing. Interviews and scenes that take place on the shore and surf shop are much crisper and cleaner, of course, although even these sequences suffer from a variety of minor problems; everything from over-saturated skintones to uneven clarity. Documentary fans will barely bat an eye. It's all to be expected from a doc of this nature, and most every eyesore is inherent to the original source. It doesn't help that the 3D is entirely hit or miss, and rife with crosstalk (at least on 3D displays that are prone to ghosting). Some shots pop with brief but striking dimensionality, others are flat and unimmersive, lending themselves to an inconsistent image. All told, the encode offers a serviceable presentation of an imperfect source. No more, no less.

Storm Surfers 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

XLrator's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is much better, so long as it's approached with reasonable expectations. The film boasts extreme sports documentary sound design through and through, and the roar of the waves, the hiss of the surf, the crash of water, the howling of sea winds, and the unabashed fury of nature interfere with voices and conversations at every turn. Anything said remains workably intelligible, mind you, and the unkempt sonics only enhance the experience. LFE output is unruly but satisfying, rear speaker activity is chaotic but convincing, and Storm Surfers' Michael Yezerski and Richard Tognetti's driving score doesn't back down from the deafening maw of the ocean. Is it pristine and perfectly prioritized? No, but no matter. Storm Surfers sounds as good as it feasibly could, and fans of the film won't be disappointed.

Storm Surfers 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes with the Directors (HD, 3 minutes): A short, all too brief trip behind the scenes that touches on the challenges of filming the documentary's surf scenes but doesn't dig in to revealing ends.
• Profiles (HD, 10 minutes): Tom Carroll, Ross Clarke-Jones and Ben Matson in the spotlight.
• Ross & Tom's Need for Speed (HD, 3 minutes): Clarke-Jones and Carroll slide behind the wheel for a track race.
• Storm Surfers Trailer (HD, 3 minutes)

Storm Surfers 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If the image of a tiny speck of a surfer being dragged beneath a 50-foot wave 75 kilometers from land doesn't send chills down your spine, Storm Surfers 3D probably isn't for you. It's man vs. nature account will certainly prove watchable, but those interested in surfing or extreme sports will find thrills as big as Clarke-Jones and Carroll's record-breaking waves await. As Blu-ray releases go, Storm Surfers 3D is average, with a problematic video presentation, so-so 3D, and a slim supplemental package. But its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track matches the film crash for crash, roar for roar, and the experience -- or rather Clarke-Jones and Carroll's experience -- is worth the investment of 95-minutes in the comfy, cozy confines of a warm home theater.