The Surfer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Surfer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 16, 2025

Note: For the first time in my long tenure of reviewing Lionsgate titles, Lionsgate released The Surfer 4K (in a 1080 combo package) via their etailer Lionsgate Limited months ago, following up that release months later now with this standalone 1080 release which is widely available at Amazon. This review is based on the 1080 disc included in the 4K package.

So-called "toxic masculinity" has gotten a lot of press over the past several years, and some might jokingly comment that there's no more toxically masculine culture than the one found in Australia, a nation famously built at least in part on the backs of hardscrabble criminals who were sent to an "island paradise" which had been transformed into a penal colony. It's not hard to imagine that this film's chief antagonist, a brutish beach bum named Scally (Julian McMahon in his last film appearance) is in fact a direct descendant of some 18th or 19th century ruffian (and it's perhaps ironic to note that McMahon himself was the son of a former Australian Prime Minister). Scally is a bully, devoted to keeping "outsiders" off of his preferred local beach and surfing spot, despite the fact that the beach is in fact public. That sets up a conflict with an unnamed American expat (Nicolas Cage) who grew up in the area and used to surf there, and who has returned in hopes of buying his childhood home nearby and introducing his (also unnamed) son (Finn Little) to the joys of the region's surfing lifestyle. What ensues is an increasingly surreal "adventure" that in its own way kind of strangely reminded me of After Hours, in that an apparently hapless schlub encounters all sorts of nefarious characters leading to his psychological unraveling.

That very psychological unraveling is the key to understanding The Surfer, but some may argue it's largely useless in actually figuring out what's "really" happening. Director Lorcan Finnegan loves to toy with "interior" perspectives, but his stylistic quirks here are often unfathomable, including a very early use of distorted imagery even before any of the truly strange stuff starts happening. Since that first use of oddly twisted lens work actually seems to be focusing on the son's point of view rather than dear old Dad's, it's especially confusing. Later uses of this same stylistic quirk are obviously completely focused on the titular character's roiling psyche and so are perhaps more organically woven into the visual presentation.

Some of the (fairly minimal) supplements on the disc get into perceived subtext of, yes, you guessed it, "toxic masculinity" and the surfer's reaction to being confronted by it. But the story is so opaque that it may undercut the very thesis it's trying to explicate. The underlying conceit of a troubled man trying to "recreate" some kind of childhood feeling of security by buying his erstwhile family home and reestablishing himself in an environment he once loved is certainly rife with possibilities, but The Surfer is so (intentionally) weird that emotional tethers may be fleeting for many viewers.

Cage's character endures a series of Job like trials and tribulations, with a late supposed "reveal" emphasizing the trial part of that idiom, but by that point things have tipped over into such unreality that any attempt to (sorry, sea pun incoming) anchor this story in something seemingly not the result of being on some hallucinogen may simply be hopeless. As the character loses pretty much everything, a few other sidebar characters enter the fray, including a (yes, you guessed it, unnamed) bum (Nic Cassim) who in a David Lynch film may have been a "double" for the surfer himself, which actually might have made the climax more compelling.

As some of the supplements address, there is a subtext of having to let go of even perceived control at times, but that said, the titular character here is so beset with irrational behavior and perceptions of whatever his version of "reality" is that "control" is kind of out of the question almost from the get go. Instead, the character is left to literally stumble through events, becoming more and more physically and emotionally damaged as a result, until, that is, the ostensibly cathartic final moments. There's a lot going on in The Surfer, but the film struck me repeatedly as an allegory in search of an actual story.

The Surfer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Surfer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. This shoot utilized the Arri Alexa 35 and had a 4K DI, according to the IMDb. The Arri Alexa 35 debuted a few years ago with considerable fanfare about its new image sensor and some built in "Arri textures" (supposedly?) offering the look of natural film grain. The cinematography here is undeniably one of the film's absolute strengths, and while I'll cut to the chase and definitely recommend those interested in this film to opt for Lionsgate Limited's 4K release (linked to above) for its really gorgeous upgrade of palette and detail, this 1080 presentation is a knockout. While the 4K disc's Dolby Vision / HDR grades undeniably provide new highlights, this disc offers near psychedelic levels of teals, greens and blues in particular. The film has been intentionally graded a bit oddly, so that there are frequently yellow undertones and what looks like pushed contrast, something that gives the proceedings an appropriately alien look. The emphasis on weird framings and intentionally distorted imagery can lead to understandable variances in detail, but in "normal" moments, fine detail is outstanding, especially in some of the extreme close-ups which are repeatedly employed. Some may find the "texture" of the digital grain actually a bit more appealing at this resolution than in the 4K version.

The Surfer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Surfer has a nicely immersive Dolby Atmos track which provides a literal wash of sound even before any imagery starts, with redolent waves crashing all around the listener. The bulk of this story actually plays out on a beach, or at least oceanside in a parking lot, and as such background ambient environmental effects are a near constant, even when the focal character starts to get a little gonzo. A really engaging score by François Tétaz also nicely engages the surround channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

The Surfer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Lorcan Finnegan


• Thourgh a Wave Darkly: Making The Surfer (HD; 17:59) gets into some of the film's subtext and genesis, including Thomas Martin's experience seeing two well dressed guys beating the crap out of each other on a beach one day. Lorcan Finnegan overtly mentions wanting to recreate an "Ozploitation" sensibility, while also discussing people like Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan as exemplars of thinking about "masculinity in crisis".


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:26)

The Surfer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For better or worse, my eldest son was at one point an acolyte of Jordan Peterson, and I jokingly sent him this New York Times article, telling him the photo of Peterson was the opposite of whatever toxic masculinity is supposed to be. The Surfer provides Nicolas Cage yet another opportunity to chew the scenery (and/or sand) with considerable aplomb. What it all means is anyone's guess. Technical merits are first rate and the two supplements informative, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.