Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Thrashin' Blu-ray Movie Review

West Side Karate Kid Story. With skateboards.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 16, 2015

Thrashin' is essentially an 80s West Side Story with skateboards. And unlike that classic Musical, there's absolutely no substance beyond the basics. Director David Winters' skateboarding film is flimsier than the boards on which the characters ride (despite seven-ply, practically indestructible boards! New tires that can withstand a nuclear holocaust!) and probably just as concussed as skaters who frequently tumble from their underfoot vehicles without the safety net of a cheesy looking helmet considering the total, absolute absence of story beyond "boy meets girl, girl is sister to a rival skateboarding leader, said rival skateboarding leader fights him off, boy persists, boy and rival skateboarding leader battle in a big event at the end." Everything else -- most of the film -- comes in the form of hokey romance, an out-of-place steamy sex scene, or skateboarding footage. The latter is the highlight, even if it's well short of the excellence found in stuff like Dogtown and Z-Boys but, hey, fact versus fiction, right? Or, better said, fact vs. friction, as in the friction this movie creates not only between wheels and pavement but also eyes and mind considering that the movie counts on the viewer having the former but not the latter.

"An aggressive style of skating."

Corey Webster (Josh Brolin) has arrived on a hot California skating scene in hopes of making a name for himself, landing a sponsor, and becoming the next big thing in the skateboarding universe. At an event, he catches the eye of a pretty young girl-next-door named Chrissie (Pamela Gidley) who happens to be the sister of Tommy Hook (Robert Rusler), the no-good leader of a local band of rebel skateboards known as "The Daggers." Tommy doesn't approve of Corey and sets out to sabotage his skating and his relationship with his sister. But a determined Corey, with the help of a few friends, pushes on through everything Tommy and life can throw at him for a chance to win the event, get the girl, and earn Tommy's respect.

Thrashin' is an empty vessel, a film with a weak, patched-together narrative that's as transparent as they come and even lacking the raw emotional undercurrents that are usually present to overwhelm the audience and get viewers internally involved in hopes of covering up the sheer absence of real depth under the surface. There's a simple "love crosses boundaries" story mixed together with the outsider battling the established, mean-spirited bad guys. There's as much The Karate Kid in the movie as there is West Side Story, then, but of course the film fails to offer the aforementioned emotional attachment, or the entertainment value, or the great acting, or the fine filmmaking, and so on and so forth, that made those other films superior movie watching experiences. At best, Thrashin' feels largely cobbled together, force-fed with random little bits meant to protract length, not solidify story. It's enticing in spurts, particularly when it comes to the skateboarding action, but other than that Thrashin' has very little going for it.

There is Josh Brolin, appearing here in an early-career part following up on the heels of The Goonies. The movie makes for an interesting look back at someone who showed promise and has obviously matured into a fine actor (with an Oscar nomination under his belt and deserving of a couple more), here playing a rather mundane role in which his greatest challenge is looking good on a skateboard, not playing a president or a guy with a target on his back. Brolin handles the material well enough, empty as it may be, though certainly much the same can be said of the rest of the cast, all of whom admirably push on through the various cliché parts, necessary ingredients, essentially, for the greater whole. Watch for small parts featuring famous skaters such as Tony Alva and Tony Hawk.

Thrashin' Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Thrashin' looks quite good on Blu-ray. Though there are some softer shots and a random, and usually rare, sprinkling of wear and debris, the picture produces an oftentimes beautiful film-quality appearance that will please videophiles and absolutely thrill viewers who grew up with the film on lesser home video formats. Grain is largely consistent and fairly light. Details are crisp and pleasing in nearly every scene, with woods (ramps, boards), clothes, and skin producing some amazingly natural textures. Even some of the grittier city textures look terrific. Colors are bold and pop with regularity, particularly the rather loud, but here even and accurate, 80s clothing schemes. There's a fine natural balance and harmony to the palette that truly helps accentuate it while letting the viewer truly appreciate it. Skin tones and black levels raise no alarms. This is a handsome presentation all around.

Thrashin' Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Thrashin' features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack that's usually passable but sometimes awful. First, the worst. The opening music is a truly horrid listening experience, playing like it's hollow or underwater, lacking even basic definition. Fortunately, music mostly clears up for the remainder, enjoying good basic clarity and fair front-end placement, though it sometimes sounds like it's stuck in no-man's land, attempting to escape the very middle but unable to stretch very far to the sides. Little things like wheels grinding on pavement can be grating rather than pleasing, and dialogue once or twice goes noticeably scratchy, such as when Corey yells to his friends that's he's about to head out the door around the 17:40 mark. Otherwise, the track satisfies, but does so with little in terms of robustness or immersion. General ambient effects and skating action, when they're not shrill or messy, aren't bad. For the most part, dialogue enjoys good center imaging and fine basic clarity.

Thrashin' Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Thrashin' contains no bonus content. The main menu only offers selections for "Play" and "Chapters."

Thrashin' Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Skateboarding fans might enjoy Thrashin' for some of the nifty shots of skaters zipping around the city but probably not much more other than, maybe, fond memories. Looking back now three-plus decades removed from its release there's a certain charm and nostalgia factor at play, a pleasant feeling that arises form the movie's simplicity, but looking at the movie purely on its merits, it's not very good. The story is razor-thin and the characters are painfully flat. Some of the skateboarding action is fun but otherwise Thrashin' has almost nothing to offer. The Christian Slater film Gleaming the Cube, which would release several years later, is a far superior 80s skateboarding flick (it really needs to come to Blu-ray, as does another Slater film from that era, Pump Up the Volume). Olive Films' Blu-ray release does offer mostly excellent video. Audio is shaky but bearable. No extras are included. Rent it or wait to buy on a deep sale.