X
- 2005
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 50 m
- 2005
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 50 m
Summary First Descent chronicles the rebellious, inspiring and sometimes controversial rise of snowboarding -- as seen through the eyes of the snowboarders setting the standards and breaking the boundaries of this worldwide phenomenon. (Universal Pictures)
Directed By: Kemp Curly, Kevin Harrison
- 2005
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 50 m
- 2005
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 50 m
First Descent
51
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Summary First Descent chronicles the rebellious, inspiring and sometimes controversial rise of snowboarding -- as seen through the eyes of the snowboarders setting the standards and breaking the boundaries of this worldwide phenomenon. (Universal Pictures)
Directed By: Kemp Curly, Kevin Harrison
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
51
45% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
32% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
23% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
51
45% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
32% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
23% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
First Descent is not as eloquent, and thus not as electrifying, as Stacy Peralta's "Dogtown and Z-Boys" or "Riding Giants," the two jock docs it's clearly modeled after. No matter: Visually, MD Films offers up a sugar rush.
The hardy fools - I mean, visionary pioneers - in this movie are so gravity-defying that I had to look at the press notes afterward just to make sure no computerized special effects were used.
As a result, what should have been a thrilling 90-minute sport adventure runs on for 20 more repetitive minutes. First Descent is exciting, but less would surely have been more.
Less a documentary than a PR package with a chip on its shoulder.
The Alaskan runs are often spectacular, resembling nothing so much as a controlled plummet down an avalanche. All of which is worth the price of admission if "stoked" is a regular part of your vocabulary.
Boring, repetitive and maddening about a subject you'd think would be fairly interesting: snowboarding down a mountain.
Hardcore fans will appreciate the handful of genuinely gnarly aerial sequences, but these gravity-defying stunts, which can be thrilling as part of a five-minute James Bond pre-credit sequence, grow very tedious when repeated over almost two hours.
User Reviews
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
MD Films,
Transition Productions
Release Date Dec 2, 2005
Duration 1 h 50 m
Rating PG-13
Genres
Tagline The story of the snowboarding revolution.
