Life Cycles

If you came into this film wanting a gripping story, insightful information, or any plot line at all - you'll be disappointed. But if you love gorgeous terrain, over-cranked shots of mountain biking, and a driven sound track, this is the film for you.

I caught a screening of this outdoors on an HD projector - likely how it was meant to be seen. I noticed that the film was sponsored by bike company Shimano. This was a telling title card that should have warned me of the content to follow. A narrator poetically draws a metaphor about the river of life and the birth, growth, maturation, and death of a bicycle... but it's a strain to have any emotional connection to a spinning hunk of metal. The blooper reel for this movie must be to die far - literally.

Imagine a 47 minute commercial for a lifestyle obsession and you have this film. It's beautiful bike porn.

When you combine exceptional hard work with phenomenal cinematography and some inspiring dialogues you can only end up with life cycles. It was a remarkable journey filled with some mind blowing scenarios and breath taking stunts and it's amazing how the small fragments link up to form a massively inspiring movie, the thing that glues everything together is the awesome soundtrack.

Many may find the lines of narration just as some mere clichés but I think it's well related to the story and suits the movie. I loved the way there were so many little metaphors which could potentially have larger meanings. It is by far the most visually artistic movie I have seen and I was very much inspired by what the movie had to tell.

Im going to keep this short. As a photographer/videographer myself and a lover of action sports like surfing and mtb/dh this film just delivers. Visually it is stunning and just incredibly thorough/innovative/creative. It's a real treat to be inspired by the thought that went in to shooting this. It's almost if not completely, flawlessly shot in my eyes. The biking is of course pretty top notch but its more about the artistic way they shoot the riding than the riding itself. The soundtrack pumps and really works well. Lastly but most impressively it is not any of the pieces of this film that really impress, its how they all come together and each one carries its weight to create a really great action sports piece. Watch it because you want something that is rock solid all around and is a real visual and auditory treat.

Have lived on the incredibly beautiful West Coast numerous times. While the cinematography in this film is stunning it FAILS to address the EPIC DAMAGE to nature, and wildlife, done by mountain bikers.

Nothing like coming across a dying, SUFFERING, animal courtesy of a thoughtless, pleasure-pursuing, mountain biker.

Film quote: "Well, that's living" right?

I'm curious, is the carnage of the natural world the 'hard lovin'' being referred to in this film?

F-king Pathetic!

One laughable, sentimental, comment about a 'banana seat' (bike) made me think of the beautiful Banana Slugs common in California ... and the horrific life-ending damage mountain bikers do to their bodies.

Try explaining THAT visual experience to your grade-school day-hike adventurers!

Mountain bikers intentionally create trails and damage the natural world for selfish personal pleasure.

(Can't wait for the scathing pushback on this by the people who would prefer a lie!)

D.