SummaryBased on the true story of surfing icon Jay Moriarty, "Chasing Mavericks" tells the story of a young man's quest to surf Northern California's most dangerous wave, and the local legend who takes him under his wing. What begins as a mentorship turns into a unique lifelong bond, as the two unlikely friends discover that there is nothing mo...
SummaryBased on the true story of surfing icon Jay Moriarty, "Chasing Mavericks" tells the story of a young man's quest to surf Northern California's most dangerous wave, and the local legend who takes him under his wing. What begins as a mentorship turns into a unique lifelong bond, as the two unlikely friends discover that there is nothing mo...
Chasing Mavericks is made with more care and intelligence than many another film starting with its template might have been. It's better than most movies targeted at teens. And the cinematography of the big Mavericks scene by Oliver Euclid and Bill Pope is so frightening that you sort of understand why Frosty stays on the shore, watching Jay with binoculars.
The reason to see Chasing Mavericks is the same reason why people flock to shore locations when a hurricane approaches: the waves. This is less effective as a bio-pic of Jay Moriarty than it is as a big screen National Geographic Special.
As a late-blooming (yet bona fide) beach bum, The Hawk was anxious to catch Chasing Mavericks on the big screen before its inevitable quick turnover to dvd. Fully knowing that this one would not be a potential Oscar contender in a any category what-so-ever, and that the family-friendly film would likely have a routine, formulaic dramatic arc to it, with few (if any) surprises, didn't matter at all. If its got gigantic, ocean waves in it, with pro surfers taking them on like bareback bronco riders in a wild west show, The Hawk would be there. This true story of a young 16 yr-old surfing prodigy and his courage to face one of the largest waves ever recorded on film was a thrillingly inspirational experience. **** you're looking for a flick that fits the definition of film as art that will remain in your mind for years to come for its originality and creativity,... one will need to look elsewhere.
Despite its one-dimensional characters and strictly perfunctory direction and acting, the jaw-dropping. hardcore, surfing scenes (of which there are many) are beautifully shot, giving a graphic sensation of the power and majesty of the ocean surf like no film that I've seen before. The cinematography in this film both made me want to jump right into the thick of it, as well as stay as far away as possible from the danger and terror of the ocean's insurmountable power as I could get, all at once. One has no choice but to be impressed with the courage and confidence these athletes must have in order to take on such monstrously treacherous dragons that these infamous waves at legendary Mavericks near Santa Cruz, CA are.
Chasing Mavericks is very hard not to like, if you love being on, in, and around the ocean as much as I do. Even those whose idea of going to the beach is limited to eating boardwalk fries, riding carnival attractions, and building sandcastles will likely appreciate the magical setting of the west coast shore and those that take to riding its wildest waves like water cowboys on untamed stallions. Grade = B.
This is a nice enough story and film. It appears like a TV film. There's nothing especially bad about it, its just a little cliched, or predictable, if anything and maybe a little cheesy. There's not much more to say about it. I wouldn't particularly recommend it, no.
In 1994, 16-year-old surfer Jay Moriarity braved the biggest waves ever seen off the coast of Northern California. His biopic, Chasing Mavericks, gets that fact right but changes everything else about his life in order to bowl audiences over in a saccharine tsunami.
As it turns out, the only truly interesting element about this clichéd surfer flick is that it was made by celebrated directors Michael Apted and Curtis Hanson.
(Mauro Lanari)
"Live like Jay" is written in the graffito at the end of the film. No, thanks, I'm not at all interested, and I regret other works that have been able to say much more about this genre, epically and epocally: "Point Break" (Bigelow, 1991) and especially "Big Wednesday" (Milius, 1978).
"Chasing Mavericks" 10 Scale Rating: 4.5 (Mediocre) ...
The Good: Intense and well done surfing scenes. I'm not even into surfing, but was still extremely entertained by these scenes. The real story behind the film is a pretty interesting one and I can understand why they wanted to make a movie about it.
The Bad: Pretty hollow, which is unacceptable for this sort of film. Lacks heart, emotion, and with the exception of the surfing scenes, any real energy. Aside from Butler, most of the acting was well below average.