The Endless Summer – Classic Surf Movie Review

Movie Spotlight: The Endless Summer
Price:  $14.95 (DVD) or $ 9.99 (on Amazon Prime)
Cheapest Place to Buy: Amazon.com
Runtime: 1hr 35min
My Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Personal Review

The Endless Summer is a super stellar classic for anyone who is a surfer or even non-surfer’s if they want to get hooked on it. At first I thought that would be just an analogy of bunch of guys surfing everywhere (it was built on a bunch of old surfing documentaries), but man was wrong. The Endless Summer was recommended by various friends in the surfing world and so I tried it and oh boy did it get me hooked on surfing. The surfers are in their natural zone so there is no acting involved but the movie plays out to be very tidy with a neat story line that will certainly get you hooked and entranced for more. I certainly thoroughly enjoyed it and it was something that got me stoked on surfing when there was no waves to surf at all.

Premise of the Film

The story follows 2 Californian surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert ‘Wingnut’ August on their ultimate quest for the perfect wave. Therefore they decided to plan ahead count the costs so they could live out their dream of finding the best waves around the world. Their adventures takes them across the world, globetrotting from the shark-filled dangers in Australia to the then uncharted surfing regions in West Africa. The scenery also covers Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand. What makes it a beautiful film is it has a compelling story with the right ingredients of  heart, humour and genuine setbacks that you find during their quests.

Not Just a Surfing Documentary

Somehow after so many movies out there they never really caught the true adventure of going surfing across the world like what The Endless Summer does. This film was directed in 1966! It did not have any special effects of our time. It is just not some bland documentary (I want to call it a real surf movie), it is a true adventure. With the narration of Lord ‘Tally Ho’ Blears this just makes the film even more riveting and the story-telling fun to watch. I remembered being immersed in their story line into the first few minutes of the film. Their quirky humour  and the narrators responses also adds a certain charm to whole story for example when they spot a areas that has warning signs for sharks and Wingnut starts packing band aids (seriously, what goes in their mind) for their surf trip. They not only go surfing they hang out with the locals in the area. I found it awfully cute when the kids saw Mike and Wingnut go surfing they also wanted to try it out and the shenanigans they get into was actually quite heartwarming and hilarious. Also the setbacks makes the whole story seem really plausible as sometimes as a surfer you plan what you can but it does not always go your way. The was another scene, where they one of their planned trips was a bust no waves with few broken hearts but they discovered another area with new waves and more interesting surfing than they could of ever imagined. Also be sure to try and find that surfer with ‘rigor mortis of the stomach’ while you are watching the film.

Feel of the Film

It is just a film that like a good book will make you feel enthralled and wanting more. The film itself rounds off with a feel-good attitude despite the mishaps, setbacks and heart attacks involved this was a worthwhile trip. The film itself has enough story to keep me captivated, enough surfing to keep me stoked and enough heart to make me feel that this is really worth watching. I think they got the narrative and story just right to feel that the movie as a whole is not only about surfing but also about a quest, a journey of self-discovery and warmth I feel is incomparable to other surf films these days.

Good Film Just Comes with Good Paraphernalia (The Endless Summer T-shirts, Signs and Posters)

I remembered after watching the film I really wanted to get some cool paraphernalia (stuff) about The Endless Summer and after scouring through the internet Amazon really has some cool stuff that is worth a look. Such as:

• The Endless Summer T-Shirt 
• Posters
• Wooden Plaque Signposts (if you really want it)
• Indo Board Balance Board (which surfers use to keep their balance)

Just jump right in if you feel adventurous though if you are not interested make sure not to click on the links.

Final Thoughts

This film gets a deserved 8.5 out of 10. It is also highly rated on imdb and rotten tomatoes so the story really speaks for itself. Even though it is an old film, I highly recommend it as a surfing movie if you really want to get yourself hyped on surfing or if you are just looking for a good story to watch and it just happened to be about surfing. This film just one of those timeless classics I hope that everyone will enjoy and pass on. This also the highly recommended first stop if you are preparing to psych yourself up for a good surf trip or just going to do some surfing for fun, it will actually set you up for the adventure. Just watch the first 30 mins of it if you are still not convinced I bet you will not be able to switch it off after that. I highly recommend you getting the DVD as it something you might want to re-watch on a cold rainy day. Amazon Prime also seem to have it on their list so if you want to try it out as a digital that is fine as well.

Let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear from various people what their idea is of The Endless Summer.

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