Temporary Disabled. :) please Go back The Surfer Review - IGN www.fgks.org » Address: [go: up one dir, main page] Include Form Remove Scripts Accept Cookies Show Images Show Referer Rotate13 Base64 Strip Meta Strip Title Session Cookies The SurferThe Surfer ReviewA brutal, sun-soaked stage for Nicolas Cage to do what he does best.By Lex BriscusoUpdated: May 20, 2024 10:18 pmPosted: May 20, 2024 10:16 pmThis review is based on a screening at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.Nicolas Cage has been known to give himself completely to a character and their circumstances, and his work in Lorcan Finnegan’s The Surfer is the latest testament to that skill. A quintessential midnight movie, the bold and brutal film is Cage at his rowdiest, giving him every bit of the spotlight to do what he does best: go entirely mad. His performance makes way for an exciting yet crushing look at how brutality, pride, and confidence can threaten to poison everything we work for.It might come as a surprise that there’s very little surfing in The Surfer, which is more concerned with the dark side of machismo, male anxiety, territorial pissing contests, and social class than it is with hitting the waves. This is what makes it more than a fun romp, as Cage tussles with the feral gang of locals who control the idyllic Australian beach he once called his own. (Their claim: “You don’t live here, you don’t surf here.”) Over the course of one scorching Christmas holiday, Cage’s unnamed protagonist – who’s returned to the Gold Coast with his son to purchase his family home – is forced deeper and deeper into insanity. His spiral culminates in a soul-crushing ending that questions our treatment of those who’ve fallen into houselessness from a life of stability. Under these most dire of circumstances, The Surfer forces its lead to empathize and connect.What's Your Favorite Nicolas Cage Movie?Pick a winner New duel1ST2ND3RDSee your ResultsFinish playing for your personal results or see the community’s!Continue playingSee resultsThe thriller bolsters its cruel world with a stylized visual palette of greens and yellows. unnatural colors that remove The Surfer from our reality and give it the feeling of a fable or a parable. Sometimes, the air around Cage shudders and ripples like smoke from a gas grill, contributing to the heat-stroke absurdity of his ordeal. Difficult moments for the character are often chased with cuts to the native fauna, a smart and unsettling choice that fosters our sense of dread as Cage’s character falls farther and farther down the rabbit hole.Down that rabbit hole lie a few major twists, and they pack a solid punch. They contribute to the brain-scrambling sensation that places the audience directly in Cage’s shoes as he comes to terms with what’s happening to him on this beach. This is the real success of Thomas Martin’s script and Finngean’s direction, which work together to make us feel as if Cage’s experience is our own. Martin’s dialogue gets to the heart of how warped we become when we lose all sense of stability, while Finnegan zeroes in on Cage’s emotional state through close-ups of his eyes. The Surfer Gallery3 ImagesIt’s a harsh journey, but the destination is a hopeful one. The Surfer ultimately hinges on the idea that we aren’t so different from one another, and we all deserve to live the lives we strive for – as long as we aren’t hurting anyone else. The toxic masculinity of the film’s characters threatens this notion, even challenging it in the gang’s mantra: “You can’t surf if you don’t suffer.” Through that suffering, Cage’s character learns that he’s even more entitled to his peace than he thought he was when he first came to the beach. We are all connected, and we all have a right to exist among each other – and if that’s taken from you, The Surfer’s powerhouse ending asserts that there’s a chance that you deserved it.VerdictThe Surfer reminds us that few do outlandish madness and fierce commitment like Nicolas Cage. The celebrated actor feels right at home in a story about unleashing male rage, and he meets the most harrowing moments of his character’s journey with a brazen drive to survive. If Cage weren’t going full throttle, The Surfer wouldn’t work. But with a poignant undercurrent that jabs a finger at our classist society and a set of twists and turns fit for a late-night screening, Cage’s latest thrill ride is a rebirth of epic proportions, centered around a bloody and beaten savior of the surf born on Christmas Day.In This ArticleThe SurferTea Shop ProductionsTBATheaterWhere to WatchPowered byJustWatchNot yet available for streaming.8Review scoringgreatLorcan Finnegan’s smart survival thriller The Surfer sets a brutal, sun-soaked stage for star Nicolas Cage to do what he does best: go completely nuts.Lex BriscusoMore Reviews by Lex Briscuso8The Substance Review9Anora Review10Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga ReviewIGNRecommendsGlen Powell Says 'I Have a Date' for Top Gun: Maverick 235Shelby Oaks Review26Zack Snyder's 'True Vision' Revealed in Rebel Moon - The Director's Cut Trailer209Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto Delivers the Ultimate Ninja Crossover27Asus ROG Ally X Review157House of the Dragon New Episode Review213The 25 Best Comedies of All Time1.1kThe X-Men Movie Timeline, Explained143
This review is based on a screening at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Nicolas Cage has been known to give himself completely to a character and their circumstances, and his work in Lorcan Finnegan’s The Surfer is the latest testament to that skill. A quintessential midnight movie, the bold and brutal film is Cage at his rowdiest, giving him every bit of the spotlight to do what he does best: go entirely mad. His performance makes way for an exciting yet crushing look at how brutality, pride, and confidence can threaten to poison everything we work for.
It might come as a surprise that there’s very little surfing in The Surfer, which is more concerned with the dark side of machismo, male anxiety, territorial pissing contests, and social class than it is with hitting the waves. This is what makes it more than a fun romp, as Cage tussles with the feral gang of locals who control the idyllic Australian beach he once called his own. (Their claim: “You don’t live here, you don’t surf here.”) Over the course of one scorching Christmas holiday, Cage’s unnamed protagonist – who’s returned to the Gold Coast with his son to purchase his family home – is forced deeper and deeper into insanity. His spiral culminates in a soul-crushing ending that questions our treatment of those who’ve fallen into houselessness from a life of stability. Under these most dire of circumstances, The Surfer forces its lead to empathize and connect.
The thriller bolsters its cruel world with a stylized visual palette of greens and yellows. unnatural colors that remove The Surfer from our reality and give it the feeling of a fable or a parable. Sometimes, the air around Cage shudders and ripples like smoke from a gas grill, contributing to the heat-stroke absurdity of his ordeal. Difficult moments for the character are often chased with cuts to the native fauna, a smart and unsettling choice that fosters our sense of dread as Cage’s character falls farther and farther down the rabbit hole.
Down that rabbit hole lie a few major twists, and they pack a solid punch. They contribute to the brain-scrambling sensation that places the audience directly in Cage’s shoes as he comes to terms with what’s happening to him on this beach. This is the real success of Thomas Martin’s script and Finngean’s direction, which work together to make us feel as if Cage’s experience is our own. Martin’s dialogue gets to the heart of how warped we become when we lose all sense of stability, while Finnegan zeroes in on Cage’s emotional state through close-ups of his eyes.
It’s a harsh journey, but the destination is a hopeful one. The Surfer ultimately hinges on the idea that we aren’t so different from one another, and we all deserve to live the lives we strive for – as long as we aren’t hurting anyone else. The toxic masculinity of the film’s characters threatens this notion, even challenging it in the gang’s mantra: “You can’t surf if you don’t suffer.” Through that suffering, Cage’s character learns that he’s even more entitled to his peace than he thought he was when he first came to the beach. We are all connected, and we all have a right to exist among each other – and if that’s taken from you, The Surfer’s powerhouse ending asserts that there’s a chance that you deserved it.
The Surfer reminds us that few do outlandish madness and fierce commitment like Nicolas Cage. The celebrated actor feels right at home in a story about unleashing male rage, and he meets the most harrowing moments of his character’s journey with a brazen drive to survive. If Cage weren’t going full throttle, The Surfer wouldn’t work. But with a poignant undercurrent that jabs a finger at our classist society and a set of twists and turns fit for a late-night screening, Cage’s latest thrill ride is a rebirth of epic proportions, centered around a bloody and beaten savior of the surf born on Christmas Day.
Not yet available for streaming.