Storm Surfers - DVD

Film: Former surfing champions Ross Clark-Jones and Tom Carroll not only share a deep friendship. The two athletes, both in their late forties and family men, also share a passion for big-wave surfing. With the help of their buddy, surf meteorologist Ben Matson, they are always on the lookout for extreme waves, which they then try to conquer together. In doing so, they put up with injuries or trouble with their wives and even risk their lives now and then. But that doesn't stop them from their mission, which they set out on in August 2011: they want to ride a wave that has never been ridden before, a wave that hits 75km off the Australian coast. But until that time comes, the two warm up at various surf hot spots in Australia, Hawaii and other parts of the world, always with the very big goal of the ultimate big wave kick in mind...

Storm Surfers follows the two surfers on their not-so-hazardous journey, while also taking a look at the careers of the former surf champions. Not only Clark-Jones and Carroll themselves, but also other big wave conquerors like Paul Morgan, Mark Mathews and Paul 'Antman' Paterson or surf legend Kelly Slater have their say. Footage of big wave surfing alternates with various interview sequences and archive footage. The result is an extremely entertaining and gripping surf documentary that has some really great images to offer.

The two protagonists, crazy in a very likeable way, manage very well to convey to the viewer the very special fascination that comes from the dangerous big wave surfing. So you can literally dive right into the huge waves and experience a little bit of the adrenaline rush that shoots through the bodies of the surfers in these moments. This may work even better in the 3D version, which is available on Blu-ray, but even in the 2D version this is already a pleasantly intense viewing experience.

Admittedly, despite the great images and very candid interviews, it's not so easy for the average viewer to relate to why these men are even willing to risk their lives for the ultimate thrill. Thus, one becomes a witness here of a not exactly easy accident. But in the end, it's not the joy of having survived that prevails, but rather the disappointment of having missed a big wave and the need to be pulled by the jet ski into the next big wave.

But even if only extreme adrenaline junkies can relate to this, Storm Surfers is definitely worth watching for anyone who is interested in entertaining (extreme) sports documentaries. Great filmed and interestingly conveyed - just an absolutely rousing pleasure!

Picture + Sound: The image of the DVD is on a good to very good documentary level. The interview sequences convince with a high image sharpness and a coherent color scheme. In the scenes filmed with helmet cameras and other smaller digital cameras on the water, there are here and there small quality losses, but these hardly diminish the positive overall impression. The sound can also convince, with the voice over commentary on both audio tracks very powerful and centrally mixed, while the sound of waves and wind repeatedly provides a pleasant surround feeling. Good!

Extras: Unfortunately, the DVD has no bonus material to offer.

Conclusion: Storm Surfers is a rousing surfing documentary that scores points with some fantastic footage and two very likeable, crazy protagonists. The journey of the two to the different surf hot spots is entertaining, amusing and exciting at the same time and can captivate even if you have never stood on a surfboard yourself. The 3D documentary also works excellently as a 2D version and apart from the lack of bonus material, there is really nothing to criticise about the DVD transfer. If you like gripping sports documentaries, you should definitely get this one. Absolutely recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp