The Endless Summer 2 (1994)

People are voting emotionally.

Excellent but underrated film

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

This is a sequel to the original film "Endless Summer" (1966). Number 2 echoes the same basic format, as voice-over narrator Bruce Brown follows two professional surfers, here "Wingnut" Weaver and Pat O'Connell, who travel around the world in search of the perfect surfing waves. The documentary inspires youthful idealism with its two young surfers and a theme of carefree innocence. A travelogue of local places in a non-American setting augments the surfing scenes.Using 35-mm film, color cinematography is by far the best element, with terrific shots of surfers riding ocean waves from up close and from far away. The height, symmetry, and fluidity of the waves are inspiring. And some of Brown's narration is clever and funny.Unfortunately, aside from the beautiful camera work, there's not much to this film. Watching surfers ride a wave is interesting for the first four or five minutes; then it starts to get monotonous. The two surfers are slightly annoying and stereotypical of hip California surfers only interested in having fun, sans responsibilities. Maybe that's intentional, to appeal to a youthful audience.The travelogue of local cultures is frivolous, "cute", and highly contrived. And please, enough with the jargon; the word "stoked" was so overused, hearing it again and again made me want to turn the sound off. Does Brown not have a script editor? Frenetic background music also is irritating and could have been replaced with the natural sounds of the ocean.Obviously, "Endless Summer 2" will appeal to viewers interested in surfing, and to those who gravitate to National Geographic documentaries of non-American cultures. My biggest complaint here, aside from the repetition and the "shallow" (so to speak) plot is that the film was made by and for surfer-centric specialists. Brown and company know what surfers like; if only they could make a comparable film aimed at a wider audience.

Bruce Brown's sequel, produced nearly 30 years later, is just as good as the first one. Once again, we join two surfers, professional surfer Pat O'Connell (who still surfs to this day) and his pal, longboard pro 'Wingnut' Weaver, as they travel around of the world to chase the summer, enjoying some intense waves, new cultures, and a whole lot of adventure. Brown's movie shows just how much surfing has changed since the first Endless Summer. Whereas in the 1960s, Brown showed the sports immense popularity of the sport for Pacific Coast surfers. But, if you'll recall in the first Endless Summer, some of the places that Mike Hynson and Robert August traveled to, they had never seen a surfboard before. Much has changed since then, as Brown reveals in the sequel. Right from the introduction, we see how crowded the Hawaiian shores are with every kind of surfer imaginable--long boarders, short boarders, males and females both surfing, children surfing, people surfing doubles or triples, people surfing with their dogs, body boarders, and everything else. The sport has come a long way since the first movie in 1966. In the Endless Summer II, O'Connell and Weaver travel to southeast Asia, France, Australia, South Africa, Hawaii, and Coasta Rica. In fact, they were invited to visit Coasta Rica by the original Endless Summer surfer, board designer Robert August. In France, the pair get to surf with world surf champ Tom Curren. I think it was in the islands of Indonesia that they meet up with Laird Hamilton and Gerry Lopez (remember them from 'North Shore'?). This is where Brown gives some focus to what extreme lengths surfing has been taken to as they gang go 'towing' with Hamilton and Garcia into some of the biggest waves surfers have ever known. And in between that, they get to do a whole lot of other great stuff (particularly with the adventurous prankster, Nat Young of Australia). The sequel is not quite authentic as the first one because of a few choreographed sequences. But, everything else is cool (despite the omnipresence of those Sunkist sponsors). The photography is great. The surfing is great. The music is great. If you love surfing, or at least watching surfers, this is still a great movie to watch. It's a lot of fun watching surfers living for what they like to do best: surf.

This movie is just great, I just can't get tired of watching it, scenery and beaches are just BEAUTIFUL, and also featuring my favorite surf legends, it's the best surf movie I've ever seen. Also pretty funny, what a nice way to travel the world and have fun in the same time!!!!!! I'm up for it anytime!!!!!

I hate this film. Not because it isn't terrific. It's as good as good gets. My problem has to do with the films results. People all over the place watch Wingnut and Pat rip it up all over the globe and think, "Wow, I'd love to do that!" Next thing you know they're out in the line up trying to stand and getting in my way when it's already crowded enough. So I cannot stress this anymore...DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM. Watch "When Sharks Attack" instead.