Waiting for Lightning

Name: Waiting for Lightning
Genre: Documentary
Released: December 7, 2012
Rating: 45

2012

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Ratings

See All

4.8

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

4.8	Your Score
4.8	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Waiting For Lightning

Now Playing: Waiting For Lightning

Movie Details & Credits

Samuel Goldwyn Films | Release Date: December 7, 2012 | Not Rated

Summary: Waiting for Lightning is the inspirational story of visionary skateboarder Danny Way. The film follows the journey of a young boy from a broken home in Vista, CA, whose passion for skateboarding would one day bring him fame and a lifetime of accomplishments. Way's drive has no limits as exemplified by his creation captured on screen, aWaiting for Lightning is the inspirational story of visionary skateboarder Danny Way. The film follows the journey of a young boy from a broken home in Vista, CA, whose passion for skateboarding would one day bring him fame and a lifetime of accomplishments. Way's drive has no limits as exemplified by his creation captured on screen, a ramp of prodigious and dangerous proportions, across many cultural and ideological boundaries to attempt the impossible: jump China's Great Wall on a skateboard. It's a film about how much abuse the body can sustain, how deep you have to dig to survive the challenges life presents, and how high and far dreams can fly. Danny Way has not only proven himself to be an incredibly talented skateboarder but also the sport's greatest innovator. In his quest for greatness, Way continues to shape the very sport which helped save his own life. (Samuel Goldwyn Films)… Expand

Director: Jacob Rosenberg

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Marc Mohan

Dec 6, 2012

The line between fearlessness and idiocy can be a thin one, especially in this sport, and the doc never gets too far under Way's skin. But when he soars -- on a skateboard! -- above the massive structure that kept invading armies at bay for centuries, it's pretty darn cool. Read full review

Joe Neumaier

Dec 6, 2012

Colorful folks and cool stunts abound, but casual viewers may still utter a big "Why?" Read full review

Joe Leydon

Dec 2, 2012

A slickly produced, unabashedly celebratory picture about professional skateboarder Danny Way. Read full review

Pete Vonder Haar

Dec 4, 2012

Unfortunately, as the extensive footage of kick flips, fakies, and grinders goes from thrilling to routine, we're left waiting - and wanting - for Rosenberg to offer something more substantial than another "big air." Read full review

Mark Olsen

Dec 7, 2012

Unfortunately, the athlete himself simply isn't much of a presence in this documentary, even as the film aims to celebrate him. Read full review

Frank Scheck

Dec 7, 2012

Eventually, though, Waiting For Lightning suffers greatly from the absence of Way himself. Read full review

Andrew Schenker

Dec 2, 2012

With Danny Way almost never weighing in directly, the film's attempts to portray his story as an inspirational tale of triumph over adversity scarcely registers. Read full review

SEE ALL 12 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

SimpsonFans

Aug 4, 2016

The critics who diminished this film because they didn't hear enough from Danny are selling the film short. I've seen just about all the recent films in this genre (Dogtown and Z-Boys, Riding Giants, Step into Liquid, etc.), and I think this one is highly inspirational in its own right. YouThe critics who diminished this film because they didn't hear enough from Danny are selling the film short. I've seen just about all the recent films in this genre (Dogtown and Z-Boys, Riding Giants, Step into Liquid, etc.), and I think this one is highly inspirational in its own right. You hear enough from Danny to understand his motivations. And we hear so much from celebrities and athletes today (interviews, social media), it's almost refreshing to see a guy who lets his performances and his grace speak for him. The tragic losses of Danny's male role models definitely help mold who he is, for better or for worse, but he's an incredible role model for what hard work and persistence can do for you. For a guy who is afraid of heights to do what he does is really unthinkable. Good for DC for making the film happen, and I realize it's the nature of the beast, but the entire film had a Quicksilver/DC Shoes imprint on it which is a bit unusual for a feature film - and it detracted from my enjoyment, but only slightly. It was great seeing Rob Dyrdek and Ken Block supporting Danny on the Great Wall jump. And doing that jump for a second ("third") time on the big day for "personal satisfaction" is just the icing on the cake. It's what true artists and competitors in this game do. For fans of skating, this is a must-see blockbuster.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

MarcDoyle

Dec 14, 2012

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The critics who diminished this film because they didn't hear enough from Danny are selling the film short. I've seen just about all the recent films in this genre (Dogtown and Z-Boys, Riding Giants, Step into Liquid, etc.), and I think this one is highly inspirational in its own right. You hear enough from Danny to understand his motivations. And we hear so much from celebrities and athletes today (interviews, social media), it's almost refreshing to see a guy who lets his performances and his grace speak for him. The tragic losses of Danny's male role models definitely help mold who he is, for better or for worse, but he's an incredible role model for what hard work and persistence can do for you. For a guy who is afraid of heights to do what he does is really unthinkable. Good for DC for making the film happen, and I realize it's the nature of the beast, but the entire film had a Quicksilver/DC Shoes imprint on it which is a bit unusual for a feature film - and it detracted from my enjoyment, but only slightly. It was great seeing Rob Dyrdek and Ken Block supporting Danny on the Great Wall jump. And doing that jump for a second ("third") time on the big day for "personal satisfaction" is just the icing on the cake. It's what true artists and competitors in this game do. For fans of skating, this is a must-see.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

olof

Apr 9, 2013

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. quite a nice story about Danny Way. A big minus is that there's a lot of advertisment in the movie. Even his mum have a t-shirt with a big logo of one of the brands behind the movie. It also gets redicilous towards the end when he skates on big ramp filled with logos, close-ups of his DC-shoes and him drinking a certain brand of soda watching the landscape. Almost funny.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 3 REVIEWS