Billabong Odyssey (2003)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

"In a world that was so regimented in the 1960s, surfing was freedom," says Ken Bradshaw, a 49-year-old Texan who in 1998 surfed the biggest recorded wave in history. Bradshaw's just one of the elite featured here - an oddball collection of rock 'n' rollers, thrill-seekers and hermits. For these men and women the sport seems almost sexual, with their talk of "thrusts", "swells" and "peaks".Like latter-day Argonauts, the search for surf takes them across the globe, and the rewards - personal or pecuniary - are staggering. To carry the analogy, if Brad Gerlach, once ranked number two in the world until he unexpectedly quit, is Jason, then Mike Parsons (Gerlach's arch-rival) is the crew's Orpheus, monkish and self-contained. And it's Parsons who tops and tails the film, surfing a 70 foot wave - named Cyclops, after the one-eyed monster in 'The Odyssey' - before the might of nature crashes down upon him. For that feat, at 'Jaws' in Hawaii, he'd win a perfect 10 and make surfing history.But this is more than a Who's Who of surfers: interspersed with personal stories - from the likes of Ken 'Skindog' Collins, one of the 'Santa Cruz Boys' who surf all day and party all night. We discover how being a surfer in the 1980s meant being a corporate whore - as Gerlach, pictured in flashback festooned with sponsorship labels, more walking advertisement than human, soon discovered.If the 1990s saw advances in weather forecasting, computer technology pinpointing bigger waves with a high degree of accuracy, we also learn how water-sports are now cross-pollinating, combining aspects of gliding and snowboarding. It's a truly transcendental moment as "'surf-scientist' Rush Randle demonstrates aerial-acrobatics on his hydrofoil board, affording the film a quiet majesty all too often interrupted by an MTV rock soundtrack.The cinematography is incredible, but this stuff would look impressive on home video. Importantly, the dangers of surfing are made perfectly clear: in surfing spots that translate as "Broken Skulls" in Tahitian, it's shocking to suddenly see the odd flash of crimson amid the blue, white and green.

I've watched this video 1-2 times completely and then have watched specific scenes over and over numbers of times analyzing each wave and listening to the soundtracks. They are all so unique and so big!!!! The footage is awesome. Lots taken from helicopters which is ultra cool...The footage from Teahupoo is insane. The conditions were so powerful, so hollow and pitching.The soundtrack, "Look Out Below" in scene 15 shows big waves and big wipe outs. Awesome footage and soundtrack. Classic rock/blues sound of the 70's.The soundtrack, "Thankyou" Good Lord, 50 seconds from the very end is awesome also. Again, classic rock.Excellent video for the skateboarding generation, safe for kids...They will be inspired by the brave nature of the surfers. Since most kids are active, they can appreciate how difficult some things are.The surfers in the video are the some of the best in the world surfing the biggest waves, with the best cameras...Check it out.

"Stepping Into Liquid", "Riding Giants" and "Billabong Odyssey" are three amazing, recently released big wave movies and I like them all. "Liquid" is less esoteric than Peralta's "Riding Giants" and "Billabong" is more matter-of-fact and less about a "culture". Still, it is awesome to behold. In particular, the footage captured at Mauai's "Jaws" is mind-boggling, as is the Tahitian and Australian ("Cyclops") material. The cinematography is breathtaking and the sound design is very effective. The "odyssey" itself was a two year enterprise in which a group of ace surfers chased the sun all over the world to ride the perfect mountain of water. The film's initial focus on the group falls away as the narrative progresses. Finally, we're left with almost suicidal wave riding that drops one's jaw to the floor. Australian director Philip Boston adds some interviews and typical doco-style snippets to the whole, but the wave's are the juice and they're pretty damn electrifying. The film's opening ride, reprised later in the movie, is stunning.

Big wave surfers Who's Who in this documentary that is very informative of how surfing has evolved since the 60's with the advent of the jet ski to help catch 40 to 50 plus feet waves.The movie begins and ends with the footage of Mike Parsons' ride (shot from the beginning where his partner's jet ski pulls him onto the very beginning of the sea swell before it rises high above the cameraman) on what will be a very large wave at Jaws in Hawaii. Forty-five feet high at least. Who ever was holding the camera for this shot filmed a classic and there are many classic shots of surf riding.It was a treat to see this footage twice in the movie, at both ends.