180° South

Very nice film, complete with wonderful, honest characters, amazing videography, and cultural insights. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, especially if you are an outdoors-person. The accompanying music is fantastic as well, and the soundtrack may be worth picking up.

I've been a fan of Yvon Chuinard ever since I started climbing in my teens, and it is fantastic to see him in his elements—climbing and conservation. What a fantastic inspiration he is.

Of course, no film of this nature is complete without its progressive viewpoints—that we are destroying the earth with our consumptive lifestyles, that our closed-minded society fails to value other cultures, that governments value the rights of the corporation over the individual, etc. This film seems to hit upon them, but not dwell, allowing you get the point, yet still enjoy the beautiful landscapes.

Overall, a very nice film, and worthy of praise. Don't miss this one, and make sure to tell your friends about it.

In 1968, Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins traveled to Patagonia (Argentina) to mark the third ascent to Mount Fitzroy, considered one of the most technically challenging mountains in the world-they made a movie about their trek and later became well-known environmentalists. In 2009, Jeff Johnson made the same journey...and 180° South: Conquerors of the Useless is a documentary about his trek.

The documentary weaves together interviews, pictures, and film footage of Chouinard and Tompkins, the first Americans to make the climb, but is focused on Johnson's journey. Johnson's background as a young surfer and climber translates into a keen eye for beautiful imagery, thoughtful commentary, and a courageous effort at a very challenging endeavor.

With images of sailing, surfing, and climbing-including breaking waves, exotic fish and animals, and striking landscapes, anyone with a remote interest in adventure sports and travel will find the movie inspiring. It's also (what I would call) a "thinking man's adventure story" as some of the experiences cause Johnson to analyze society and its impact on the environment.

An excellent soundtrack (mostly featuring Ugly Casanova) completes the backdrop of Johnson's transformative and thought-provoking story: "I left home six months ago to follow in the footsteps of my heroes-a bit of surfing, some climbing, lots of unspoiled terrain...pretty simple, really. Well, I got all that. But along the way, I've also realized the connections I never thought much about. In these four corners of the world I've seen encroaching progress and most of this has to do with overconsumption elsewhere."

Watch 180° South to explore Patagonia, explore sailing, surfing, and climbing...and explore your thoughts on the environment and the way it's rapidly changing under today's pressures.

I enjoyed it and thought it to be well made. Interesting editing and beautiful areas. Made in the format of a documentary. I watched this thinking that it was a movie about a climbing/surfing trip when in fact it is a flick about conservation, industrial intrusion into the wild areas of Patagonia, and oh yea....a small bit of climbing thrown in too. One or two surfing shots too. I think it could have been billed differently to be accurate. A film about environmental conservation with some surfing shots thrown in every now and then and an unexpected sailing trip. A bit short on the adventure side and more heavy on the moral message. Still interesting in its own way.

In 1968, Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins decide to pack up and travel to Patagonia to climb a mountain. Years later, Jeff Johnson finds footage of the trip and decides to follow his heroes' footsteps. While sailing down to Patagonia, the mast snaps and the boat gets stranded on Easter Island. Jeff meets surfing teacher Makohe and she joins him. They meet up with Doug and Yvon. Jeff attempts to climb Cerro Corcovado.

This is a rather zen travelogue adventure despite the action. It is a documentary story that does meander. A recreation of the story would be more thrilling and action packed. There is a huge amount of environmental lifestyle philosophizing. I love the mountain climbing footage although I'm less excited about all the pontificating. It's all fine for the right audience.

I don't surf or climb, or know who founded various outdoor clothing and gear companies. I've never been out of the country or sailed an ocean. But I do know I enjoyed this film. I never once felt that the people in this movie were smug or talking down to me as one reviewer said. 180 Degrees South appealed to my sense of adventure; that tiny impulse in the back of my brain that sometimes interjects ideas like 'forget the daily grind, leave it all behind and go explore nature'. If more people just would listen and look at the world around them, appreciate the land we call home, do what you can to preserve a little bit of it.... the world would be a much better place.

Definitely worth watching!