surprisingly engaging

Rating: 7/10 (15 May 2006)

Lords of Dogtown [ Movie review ] Rating: 7.5/10 I have to admit, this movie surprised me. I expected a bunch of four letter words being spewed out by young rebels backed by a soundtrack of grunge/punk rock music. Wrong.
While this is not a script movie, the movie does succeed in developing interesting characters. The cinematography keeps you glued, and the soundtrack is wisely chosen and classic rock (Joe Walsh, Pink Floyd) all the way.
The Lords of Dogtown is about seven friends from Venice Beach, CA (the "ghetto by the sea") who all share the same love for skateboarding and surfing. It is a true story of the beginnings of the sport that started in the '70s and has now evolved into the ever popular "X Games".
Led by the brainstorming of their older, revered friend (and ultimate manager Skip), these reckless teens form a skateboarding team called the "Zephyrs". After training for two weeks, they enter contests across the country and begin building their legend. Their brash style steps on toes, but is a necessary ingredient in the evolution of their dangerous art form. While the lure of money and fame threatens a divisiveness amongst the team, the boys' friendship and camaraderie win out at the end.
Especially satisfying is to discover that the platforms used today for skateboarding competitions were born out of empty in-ground pools, left dry by a summer drought. The boys hop fences to skate in as many of these empty pools as they can find, improvising new moves on their newfound surface.
While the "Lords of Dogtown" is not for everyone (considering its' rebellious nature, profanity and drug use), I found the movie to be entertaining, engrossing and at times visually stunning.
Similar in style to: Point Break