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Surf's
Up
(2007)
Perhaps Chuck Palahniuk and David Fincher were
onto something when they chose a penguin to be Edward Norton's
power animal in Fight Club. After all, the fuzzy
Antarctic cuties have brought in two Oscars in as many years
and, if Surf's Up is any indicator, don't seem to
have lost their ability to completely win an audience over
in their third go-around.
Just as Happy Feet placed a cast of penguins in a
toe-tapping musical drawing its influences from a wide array
of musical genres and personalities, Surf's Up moves
its tuxedoed characters from their normal icy digs to the tropical
beaches of Pen Gu Island where an annual surfing competition
pits the world's greatest wave-riding penguins against one
another.
And though this seems like an utterly preposterous premise,
the film is surprisingly believeable.
Perhaps the greatest strength of Surf's Up is its ability to so
perfectly emulate real people. The characterizations are so dead-on for
every archetype included in the film that you could close your eyes and
not feel like you were watching an animated movie about flightless birds.
The dialogue and performances are beyond natural, and this effect is highlighted
by the mockumentary style of the film. At first the faked handheld camera
and interspersed interviews distracted me from the story I wanted to see,
but I soon realized that this was an incredibly effective tool the filmmakers
used to craft an exquisite picture. The best animated features are always
those that capture or mirror humanity, despite featuring casts of anthropomorphized
animals, and this is no exception.
The film also features a wonderfully "surfy" soundtrack, which strengthens its already laidback and casual attitude. The lighthearted comedy that results is priceless, and it's clear that the filmmakers made the right choice when they sacrificed the cuteness and force heart of past penguin adventures for a more cartoony visual style and thematic core. The resulting realism is nothing short of miraculous. While one gets less awe-inspiring beauty from the film, the sense of cohesiveness created between the visual stylings and the story and characters is the very definition of synergy. And I don't mean to imply that there aren't any great visuals here, because many of the surfing scenes (and the water in general) are truly breathtaking.
There isn't a lot of modern competition for Surf's Up, at least not since Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello put up their boards, but this may just be the best surfing film of all time. Sure, it's about an underdog wave-riding penguin, but it's an amazing experience, sure to impress both kids and adults alike. So hang ten to your nearest theater and don't miss the wave, cause when it's gone, it simply won't be the same on a smaller screen.
-Mark
Moreland
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All contents ©
2004-2009 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
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Director:
Ash
Brannon & Chris Buck
Writer: Lisa
Addario, Christian Darren, Don Rhymer, Joe Syracuse
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, James Woods, Diedrich Bader, Mario Cantone
Distributor: Columbia
Pictures
Runtime: 85
min
Rating: PG
Release Date: June
8, 2007
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