Surf School (Unrated)

I can just feel already, what an epic teen comedy Surf School is going to be, much pun intended of course. But appearance isn’t everything and I hope that this film can somehow surprise, as much as I doubt it.

Laguna Beach High School is tough for everyone, especially the outcasts, the non surfers. But when a group of social misfits band together, they decide to beat the schools reigning champions in a surf competition. The group goes to Costa Rica to learn, meeting some interesting people along the way. I bet you can already guess how this one ends, and trust me there are no surprises.

As it turns out my original inclinations regarding this film were completely true, this really was a weak movie. I don’t even know where to being, there’s a lot wrong with this movie ranging from a complete lack of comedy to a yawn inducing plot with cardboard characters. This is coming from a guy who actually enjoys mindless comedies, but this was just horrible. In the beginning I thought this cliché underdog story might have some potential, but in the end it was just horribly predictable and felt like a modern surf rehash of Revenge of the Nerds. Don’t expect anything from the cast, and especially from the writing.

In the spirit of not wasting anymore of my time or yours I’ll cut to the chase, don’t watch this movie. It’s that simple.

Video

Surf School looks like it was made for TV, colors look faded and the picture is extremely soft. The 1.78:1 Widescreen transfer suffers from edge enhancement which can clearly be seen in several shots. Detail is muted heavily by the softness of the pictures; colors also suffer the same fate. The Costa Rican back drop should look nice but often the sky suffers from horrid banding issues. The transfer is plagued with several big technical problems, maybe expected for a direct to DVD movie.

Audio

Lionsgate has included a 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital tracks with the release of Surf School, and like the video fails to impress. The audio sounds like it’s from a 90s sitcom, coming off completely flat. There is the odd time the track will utilize all channels but the sound quality is very weak. Overall we are given a pretty poor sounding track, although given the quality of the script this may be a good thing.

Special Features

Surf School has no special features. Hopefully they release a special anniversary edition in ten years packed with extras…right.

Final Thoughts

I won’t waste any more words on this one, so I’ll give it to you straight; the movie was weak, the audio, were rather dismal and the lack of any special features is the cherry that tops this horrid package. Simply put don’t waste your time with this movie.