Airborne

After having some moderate success on a low budget kids soap opera, "Swan's Crossing," (which has developed a cult following thanks to the participation of actress Sarah Michelle Gellar), actor Shane McDermott starred in this minor, but intensely watchable sports-themed movie, mostly involving in-line skating, but also some hockey and skateboarding and surfing as well. "Airborne is a very 'physical' movie, that required the actors and countless extras to perform their own reckless stunts on camera. The action set piece, which makes up for the entire last third of the film, is really an exciting adrenaline rush. The camera work is quite amazing, putting the viewer right inside the high speed race down "The Devil's Backbone," a dangerously curvy downhill road that the skaters must share with car traffic, as they try and shove each other off the road and into rocks. I was especially impressed to see McDermott doing all his own stunt work. That is clearly not a double, and he is a very skilled skater. But this movie has more going for it than action. The photography is gorgeous with it's exotic angles and selection of a super bright color scheme that makes every scene look like it was filmed through stained glass windows. Even Cincinnati looks beautiful! Those surfing scenes look amazing in their blue splendor, especially on the big screen. Big names like Seth Green and Jack Black got their starts here. Seth is quite unforgettable as Wiley. We even get some romance that is very sweet, and some of the comedy is downright brilliant. Add in the music of Stewart Copeland and you have a 90's classic. I hadn't seen this since the 90's and re-watched it recently, worried that it might not be as good as I remembered. You know what? It's better, and it's proof that movies they are making today are just not as good as what they were producing back then. It's like movies had a soul, and a kind of innocence, that is blatantly absent from movies being churned out today. As family entertainment, I cannot recommend "Airborne" highly enough.

I enjoyed this movie as a kid, but have only recently re-watched it. Present impressions are not as favorable, but at least one aspect was impressive. Granted, the storyline was nothing new and at times corny, but there was a bit of vocabulary and a few good lines. What most impressed me was the novelty of the street skating scenes. These moves were being done by a few people at the time, but most kids like me had never seen such things. As I just watched now, I was surprised at things like the flip on the half pipe and riding walls and jumping cars and grinding rails. For 93, that's just plain amazing. For a lot of my friends this movie became a sort of street skating manual. We even painted dragons on our skates like the main character. Some of us even went on to be sponsored and I think it all started with this movie. Considered from this perspective, Airborne is definitely innovative and classic.

A hearty kudos to director Rob Bowman for steering the ship on this rollerblady yet true to life comedy. Mitchell (Shane McDermott) is forced to migrate to Ohio when his parents move to Australia. Mitchell moves in with his aunt (Edie McClurg aka Mrs. Poole), uncle (Patrick Thomas aka another worthless Saved By The Bell teacher), and cousin Wiley (Seth Green). Mitchell is an avid surfer and the disappointment of missing out on the Australian tides surf him into a manic depression until his roller blades arrive a few weeks later via U.S.P.S. From there we move onto a Rocky like segment that has roller blading children of all ethnic backgrounds (I think) following him through the streets of Cincinatti. All this time Mitchell is being tormented by 27 year-old turned high schooler Jack (Chris Conrad)and his gang of bullies. The gang includes Augie (Jack Black in his breakthrough role) and the Banducci brothers (played magnificantly by the Betances brothers). To make a long review short, Mitchell and Wiley end up roller blading their way to chicks and popularity. I give this movie a 9/10. It would get a perfect 10/10, but did you see the video box cover......eeewwww.

This movie is hilariously funny. Shane McDermott's monologues, meant to be serious at the time (When you see that perfect wave.. .) have aged into top notch hilarity, and Seth Green's scenes are pure gold, showing the then-young actor at his comedic best, year before Austin Powers. Throw in a then-unknown Jack Black and a bunch of funny little high school types, and then Edie McClurg on top of it all, and you have one of those perfect 1980s-early 90s films, with the perfection and classicness of which that can't seem to be replicated today. This is truely one of the littlest known, but funniest movies of all time. Those who fancy themselves amateur critics would call it a period piece, a comment on the culture clash that can exist within our own country, and a farce on rollerblades. I say the only disappointment in watching it is the realization that more modern movies are nothing like it.

I absolutely *love* movies, and if I had to use a word to describe it the word would be *awesome.* Seth Green is one of my favorite actors, and this breakthrough performance is hilarious. I hear that he improv'd half of his lines in this movie, and his dancing is enough to make you fall over in laughter every time! Shane McDermott is a story of his own, with his intense eyes and killer smile he is totally invincible to all those Cincinatti bullies!! It's so sweet how he refuses to fight anyone and how he is so "zen." Overall, this movie kills in the deathmatch and I recommend it to *everyone*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=D