There have been some great movies about surfing. “Big Wednesday” and “The Endless Summer” are the two most recognizable with most film buffs and two of my personal favorites. But if you’ve ever watch a surfing flick and thought to yourself, “All this needs is a lot of blood and a 31-foot saltwater crocodile, then “Blood Surf” is the movie for you.
The story revolves around two surfers, the cool stud Bog (Dax Miller) and super hyper Jeremy (Joel West) who team up with videographer Cecily (Kate Fischer) and her producing partner/boyfriend Zack (Matthew Borlenghi) on the adventure of a lifetime.
Their plan is to hit a remote island, chum the water to lure in the sharks and surf with the predators in hopes of scoring a big payday from the footage in the extreme sports world.
Their guides who ferry them to the island are husband-and-wife duo Sonny (Chris Verido) and Melba (Susan Africa) along with their daughter, Lemmya (Maureen Larrazabal), and the crew of grizzled sea captain John (Duncan Regehr).
Once the waters are chummed, the surfers slash their feet to add to the excitement and surf the sharks. As the surfers and Cecily and Zack reflect on their successful afternoon on the beach, Jeremy and Lemmya head off into the island's interiors for some intimate action.
Sonny and Melba are left to mind the boat alone. Melba goes for a dip and then the boat is rammed by something massive. Melba makes it back to the boat, but the two are gobbled up by the 31-foot menace, which ultimately sets its sights on them.
John returns to save the day and help them escape the island. However, when they wake up they find themselves still at the island with John refusing to leave until he kills the croc that dined on some of his previous passengers. If these new passengers perish, well, then it’s apparently acceptable collateral damage.
Thankfully John does return to the scene of the crime because that gives us the best moment of the movie. As he’s preparing a bomb that will blow the saltwater croc, he never gets his “Smile, you son of a bitch!” moment like Sheriff Brody gets in “Jaws.”
As he’s in the lower deck of the boat, the croc slams through the side of the boat trying to dine on the captain. John jumps up and hangs from a pipe and tries kicking the crap out of the croc. But in one chomp, the salty bites off John’s lower half, leaving just his upper body dangling in the air dripping guts into the water.
In the end, it’s Bog, Cecily and John’s much younger girlfriend, Arti (Taryn Reif), who are left with the task of killing the croc and getting off the island. After burying the monster in a mount of rocks, Arti bites the dust and sends Bog and Cecily fleeing from the croc and gives us another great moment in the movie.
As the duo flees, they swing from a vine Tarzan-style off a large cliff and land in a flowing river. The croc falls from the cliff and dies. Then, when Bog and Cecily stand up they are standing in water that is less than knee deep. It seems that continuity wasn’t something the filmmakers had on their minds.
“Blood Surf” has many things going for it, though. The croc looks pretty good in stationary shots and the bloody scenes are very well executed. Plus there are some OK acting moments and some real tension at times that help keep you interested.
The effects in the film are downright horrible at times, and the CGI looks like something someone produced out of their basement. When the croc is in motion, it’s hard not to chuckle. That being said, the film still has that schlocky charm we all love.
“Blood Surf” is not “Big Wednesday” nor is it “The Endless Summer,” but for lovers of Schlock, it’s a movie that rides high on a wave of blood and gore. Gnarly, dude.
3.5 Yaps
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ1EtpuUgOc&w=514&h=315]