Chasing Mavericks

I went and saw this after reading many unfavorable reviews, and now having seen it I can't figure out all the negative attention. Granted, I may be a little biased having grown up surfing in Northern CA, paddling out at many of those spots, and looking up to the big wave chargers such as Jay, but based on entertainment value alone I thought it was great. The acting was solid, footage was incredible, and story never dragged on or lost my attention. The film portrayed a reasonably realistic vibe of Santa Cruz as a high school kid and the often not discussed elements of surfing. I thought it was great that they were able to bring in the real pioneers of Mavs and local shapers.

The only down-check was that it did feel slightly 'karate-kidish' at times and there were a few events that would be incredibly rare that all seemed to happen at opportune moments.

Perhaps this movie won't appeal as much to many who don't have a passion for the sport or appreciate the massive undertaking of paddling out in heavy surf - but I found it very entertaining. The story may not have been 100% accurate, but the point is to pay respect to and tell the story of an extremely driven and all around good guy.

Chasing Mavericks is a story of hopes and dreams, a story of a boy who knew what he had to live for. Some of us chase our dreams of going to college, or becoming a football player or a Lawyer. And there are others that dream of chasing the biggest wave, like Jay Moriarity he lived for riding those waves, for pushing himself to become strong enough for the Mavericks.

The imagery in this movie is outstanding; it pulls you into the sea and sucks you deep into the beauty of the water. It makes you feel and see the details of the scene, makes you long to run your fingers through the surface of the tide, to inhale the fresh scent of sea air.

Chasing Mavericks makes you realize the importance of living everyday to the fullest, to love those around you while you have the chance to do so, because each day is numbered and to never let the 'distance' of our own problems draw us away from those we love most. This movie also shows us the effect of fatherhood on our younger generation, how our boys and girls desperately need the strong leadership of role-models from fathers. How without the guidance of a father figure many of us will never reach the dream of 'riding the Mavericks.' How the loss of our fathers become our biggest 'fears', they hold us back from achieving what we want most. Acceptance and love.

Jay defines all the odds, reaches the goals of what he was created for, he lives his life to the very fullest and changes the lives of so many others along the way. 'We are all from the water, but we don't all live for the water.'

Chasing Mavericks is a clear five stars printed on my sleeve!

As a passionate surfer I always look forward to surf films as they are few and far between.The past few takes on surfing by Hollywood have been hit and miss and I think Chasing Mavericks was right on target. The story of Jay is such an inspiring one and it is done quite well as far as surf films go. Similar to the story of Stacy Peralta in Lords of Dogtown, he is an outcast who wants to turn a blind eye to the dark side of those teenage years that many are captured by. Bullies, drugs, violence all play their part in the film, but what is touching is the father son relationship that is developed with Frosty and Jay. Overall it is a great film with lots of heart and few unexpected twists and as in many surf films its fun for us surfers to pick out the cameos of pro surfers and Chasing Mavericks did not disappoint. Peter Mel, Greg Long and tonnes more mentioned in the closing credits. I think this film got surfing right with the escapist attitude and how surfing is more of a love affair with the ocean as opposed to a simple sport. It will leave you inspired and wanting to jump right into the water to Live Like Jay.

P.S. Only bad thing is no mention of Jeff Clark. A little bummed at first but I got over it :)

Fear is real. Even big wave surfers are scared of something. "Chasing Mavericks" legitimizes the raw strength of the ocean's largest source of energy. A close relationship to both the surf in Northern California's Pacific and to the man who trains him how to survive its largest beast, this big wave film highlights some of the most interesting parts of big wave surfing psychology. Fear, love, loss... and finding a balance amidst it all. Drop into theaters to see Maverick's on the big screen - that should be reason enough. Period.

-Shannon Marie Quirk, Editor of TheSurfChannel.com

The Surf Channel Television Network www.thesurfchannel.com

For the life of me I don't know why it has a low review-- it's an amazing surfing movie. Heck, I'm not even a surfer and went into this very critical (I rarely go to sporty movies / inspirational flicks).

It's based on a TRUE story, has fantastic footage of surfing (after viewing how-to's I am now amazed at how they pulled this off), & features superb acting.

If you're looking for some ridiculous explosions, sex, and nonsensical action prepare to be impressed with something deeper. I loved how they didn't go with the norm simply to satisfy the masses.

This is a down-to-earth flick for people who are looking for something that really hits home and I would go spend $11 to re-watch this.