Rating: 
Summary: I am glad I saw it!
Review: For me, a non-surfer, this was a movie that gives an idea for what the spirit of surfing is. There were some beautiful shots of the waves and the ending has some unbelievable waves! I felt that the sport side and the fun side of surfing were presented well. What is for me after this movie? Try surfing myself, of course.
Rating:
Summary: Improving on the legacy
Review: Forget Endless Summer. OK, that was great. But this tops it, as the Brown family tradition goes far onward. A non-stop blast of great waves, colorful personalities, and just plain fun make this movie one worth watching. Everything from a quad who can surf (amazing) to the Irish surfing tradition (yes, it exists) is here. Think surfing is about "The Pipe"? Wrong. This film shows "Jaws Maui" and, better yet, a place 100 miles off San Diego that has 66 foot waves (that's not a typo). Sit back, enjoy the ride. Did I mention women surfers are in this movie? They are, although not for very long. And on the wacky side, sand surfing makes an appearance for those who find water waves a bit too much to handle. Buy this DVD. Now.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT SURFER FLICK
Review: I'm glad I checked out this title. I was just wondering about the name "STEP INTO LIQUID." A much better title would have been "ENDLESS SUMMER III! To be sure, this is a SURFER movie, no plot just surfing, all over the world. (The Great Lakes, who knew?) Lots of great locales, Hawai'i (DUH!) and many more.
If you like surfing or the last two movies Endless Summer 1 & 2 go see this movie.
I knew I would like it even while the opening credits were running!
See ya at the movies!
Tim
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: If you liked the classic "Endless Summer", you will probably love this movie. There is a commonality, besides surfing -- Bruce Brown did "Endless Summer" and his son did this, a 2000s version with a lot packed into an hour and a half. The footage is great (looks like some of it came from the great IMAX from a couple years ago). Waves from all over and personalities to match. As close to getting that ear-to-ear smile on your face while not near the water. Just great!
Rating:
Summary: Next Generations Endless Summer
Review: In essence this movie has shown the world what surfing is truly about and I applaud Dana Brown for his masterpiece. Not only did he film the incredible and awe inspiring waves of cortez bank but showed that it doesnt matter where you live in this world to enjoy surfing. The footage of surfing wisconsin really was inspiring. Coming from New England I understand where these surfers get there drive. The addition of showing how the female population rocks as well as, if not better than, most men in the water was incredible. Yet in his vision he also showed that its not a competition and brought it back to the roots of surfing, and that is enjoying the ride. From 60 foot waves to 2 foot ripples. This movie is a step into the new millenium with footage of laird hamilton and his innovations into new board designs and tow in surfing. I think on a down side I wished he had touched upon sail surfing which is starting to get momentum. All in all, this is a fantastic movie to add to anybodys surf movie collection if your a surfer or not. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Step into Liquid
Review: It's a captivating movie - what better way to spend an hour or two than watching people doing and talking about something that they are passionate about? The sheer beauty of the water was joyous to watch, and the various stories very engaging, even though I've never been interested in surfing.
Rating:
Summary: Pure joy all the way! And absolutely great photography!
Review: It's not likely I'll every step onto a surfboard. But I do love to live vicariously. I was able to do that with this 2003 surfing documentary. Splendidly! Written and directed by Dana Brown, the son of Bruce Brown, who created "The Endless Summer" in 1966 (and who appears in this film), the words that roll out with the opening credits are "No special effects. No stuntmen. No stereotypes". How refreshing! The sport of surfing has come a long way since it started to become popular in the late 1950s. It was started in Hawaii, of course, hundreds of years ago. It was then, and always has been, purely recreational. This film is about the pure joy of the sport and this comes through loud and clear in every frame. We see children having a blast. We see professional surfers. We see the fun a group of big beer-bellied guys in Sheboygan Wisconsin have when they put on wet suits and surf the small waves in the muddy waters of Lake Michigan as well as and surfers who actually surf in the waves made by oil rigs in Texas.. We see what is called the "pipeline" in Oahu and watch the experts in serious battle with nature. Here, the surfers know that injury is almost inevitable and they just hope that when it happens it is something that can be fixed. Later, we meet a young man whose neck was broken while surfing. He's paralyzed from the waist down but he still rides a surfboard on his belly. It must be quite a thrill. And scary. Surfers say they think "I'm gonna die" often. But still they surf. It's impossible to paddle out to the really big waves. The surfers need a buddy on a "ski tow" for this. This is a dangerous job because the guy on the ski tow has to rescue the surfer when he falls off his board. We meet Dale Webster, a man who works in a fast food restaurant but who made a commitment to surf three waves every single day. He's been doing this for 25 years and will likely continue for many more, always supported by his family who understands his need to surf. We meet the three Molloy brothers from California. They travel to Ireland, where their grandparents came from Here, they put on wet suits and surf the cold and dark turbulent waters. The locals are delighted, especially when they teach the children from both Catholic and Protestant schools to surf. The children are wonderful to watch and they enthusiastically speak on camera to the filmmakers. We meet the men, now in their 60s, who were the original surfers in "The Endless Summer". One of them lives in Costa Rico now and he surfs with his grown son. We meet Australian champion surfers and learn what creativity in surfing is all about. Some of the surfers we meet are women who are wonderful athletes but tend not to go for the really tremendous waves. Then there are the GIGANTIC waves. We follow a group of four surfers who have to take a boat 100 miles into the Pacific to catch these waves. Wow! There is a great shot of them surfing in a wave a full 66 feet high. The cinematography is absolutely fantastic. Later, in one of the DVD's extra features, we meet the photographers and learn about the excitement and the danger of their craft. They have specially made housing for their cameras and do not have a lens to look through.. They have all been injured and recovered and came back and took more pictures. They specialize in surf photography because they, too, share the passion for the sport. Yes, passion is what it's all about. I felt it while watching this film. And I stayed up way past my bedtime to watch all the fascinating extras. There's even a lesson on how to surf. I give this film one of my highest recommendations. It's pure joy all the way.
Rating: 
Summary: The true "Endless Summer Revisited"-- definitely see it!
Review: Laird Hamilton and Dana Brown (son of Bruce Brown who produced "Endless Summer" back in 1966), produce and direct this documentary which I expect will become the new surf-film standard for our generation in the same way endless summer was in 1966. In my opinion Dana Brown's "Endless Summer Revisited" (2000) was probably a practice run for this film. Step into Liquid introduces us a new breed of world class surfers as well as "revisiting" the original Endless Summer crew plus introducing us to a few of their peers, all now in their 60's still living their dream. Hamilton and Brown add a few unique views of surfing that really made the film enjoyable beyond the huge waves we expected to see. The best was a view of surfing from Ireland's northern coast where young Irish-American surfers use the sport to bring young Protestant and Catholic children together for the first time. In another we saw Lake Michigan surfers at Sheboygan, Wisconsin. That was a great moment. There are a lot of others you'll enjoy. Of course you'll go expecting to see spectacular waves and wipeouts- you won't be disappointed. Cinematography was brilliant and alone worth the price of entry. Perhaps the only weakness was a lack of really good inclusion of women surfers in the main storyline- they were just a section shot in 3rd person style- we never felt like we really got into their lives even though the title was even taken from one of their comments. "Stepping" was definitely a male-driven, male-centered film that missed an opportunity to do more, and at the same time truly set itself apart from "Endless Summer" in that sense. I strongly recommend seeing it. Our theater here in Portland was packed, and the audience response was spontaneous applause when the final credit rolled. You might want to rent and see the 1966 "Endless Summer" and possibly Dana's "Endless Summer Revisited" as prequels before you go out to see "Step into Liquid".
Rating:
Summary: An awesome, awesome film
Review: LOL!!! Sean's obviously has never had sex and just because he has a reason to kill himself now he wants everyone else to follow suit This movie was very inspiring and beautifully shot; I watched it in a theater and it was the first time ever I saw EVERYONE staying to read all the credits, etc. Highly recommended and yeah, I'll buy the DVD asap.
Rating:
Summary: Warms you up on a cold winter's night
Review: My wife and I are skate skiers living near Tahoe and this was the perfect movie for a Saturday night in January after a day out playing in the snow. The surfers' enthusiasm for their sport is infectious. You can't help being stoked yourself when you watch the Wisconsin crew getting it done on Lake Michigan's waves, or seeing the Malloy brothers unite Protestant and Catholic kids with surfing lessons.
The only thing lacking is a discussion of the severe localism that plagues certain beach communities and is inconsistent with the surfing happy face presented here.
But that's nitpicking....surfing movies are meant to be fun and transporting. We loved Endless Summer II (great to see Wingnut in this one), smiled and "wowed" our way through SIL, and highly recommend Riding Giants.
| 
