The incredibly beautiful, long surfing sequences in BLUE CRUSH are reason enough
to see the movie, and without them, there would be no reason at all since the
rest of the story just isn't worthy of a film by John Stockwell, the writer and
director of CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL, one of last year's best pictures.
Telling the story of Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth), a wannabe big time surfer, the
movie wisely stays frequently wet. This is good since, once we get back on
land, the story involving Anne Marie, her roommates, Eden (Michelle Rodriguez,
GIRLFIGHT) and Lena (Sanoe Lake), her rebellious younger sister, Penny (Mika
Boorem, HEARTS IN ATLANTIS), and her new NFL quarterback boyfriend, Matt Tollman
(Matthew Davis, LEGALLY BLONDE), is clichéd and predictable. The less said
about this part, the better. If the movie had to get out of the surf, it would
have been better off cranking up the guilty pleasure factor. Since it does
feature babes in bikinis, the possibilities are limitless.
Ah, but in the water the movie is great. The Hawaiian surf is downright
frighteningly gorgeous. A repeated sequence of Anne Marie cracking her head
against an underwater rock will have you literally jumping every time. Most
horror movies don't produce BLUE CRUSH's level of fear. Using regular speed,
along with various levels of slow speed, and filming from every angle
imaginable, the water scenes are uniformly mesmerizing. Just try not saying,
"Wow!" while watching the surfers ply the waves. It's impossible. BLUE CRUSH
is like JURASSIC PARK as the gigantic waves attack with the ferocity and the
sound of T-Rexes. It's a real adrenaline rush.
BLUE CRUSH runs 1:45. It is rated PG-13 for "sexual content, teen partying,
language and a fight" and would be acceptable for kids around 12 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 13, gave it ***. He liked the surfing part and the big
waves and said that the film really made you jump.
Copyright © 2002 Steve Rhodes
