Off-handed realism and hyper-reality mix

Rating: 7/10 (20 August 2002)

"Blue Crush" has an unfortunate tendency to veer into extreme-sports style montages (freeze frames, sped up action, extensive use of slow-mo). While undeniably fun to watch, this style exists mainly when the film is in the wet. On dry land, the movie shifts gears completely, generally going for off-the-cuff realism underscored by carefully careless hand-held camera work, the look of natural-lighting and the casting of less-than physically perfect actors and actresses. The director and cinematographer seem to have done a lot of shots from a distance and used telephoto during scenes of interaction between the female leads. This more or less works to give us a feeling that we are watching real lives unfold.
Unfortunately, the two styles of imagery clash and as a result might reduce enjoyment of the film. Perhaps a more raw style of surf photography might have made the difference. In general, though, the characters are well-drawn (especially the supporting cast), their dialogue is fairly believable and their motivations seem to come from an honest place.
So... there's nothing wrong with "Blue Crush" (except for a couple of detectable special effects shots and a continuity error or two) and there are numerous small but substantial pluses. Go see it; you won't hate yourself afterwards. And see if your throat doesn't close up in dread the first time we and our heroine Anne-Marie get a good look at the towering juggernaut of water at Pipeline on competition day. Yikes!