Blue Crush 2 – Blu-ray Review
The Film:
Gone are the days of Gidget or the awesome drive-in features from American International Pictures of summer fun, the ocean, and beautiful girls in bikinis, yet nearly a decade ago Blue Crush tried to fill this little void. It had the girls in bikinis (Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez). It had the ocean, which they used the sub-culture of surfing as a backdrop. Yet it wasn’t really summer fun, since that film was unfocused and needlessly over-dramatic. Would an in-name only sequel overcome those issues and bring in some summer fun to the party? Surprisingly, yes, and Blue Crush 2 is a great little film waiting to be seen.
Blue Crush 2 isn’t the most original film out there, or within the Beach Party genre, but it hits all of the right notes, for a breezy, perhaps predictable fun time. Whatever demons the Kate Bosworth character was chasing in the original film, it clouded her character’s arc, and just dampened things along the way. In this film, we follow Dana (Sasha Jackson) who feels alienated from her father, her father’s wealth, and the L.A. scene. In a desperate need to reconnect with a mother she barely knew, she travels to her mom’s old haunts in South Africa, and uncovers a personal adventure.
The drama and humor hit the standard issue buttons of these types of films, but the actors like the aforementioned Sasha Jackson, Sharni Vinson (Step Up 3D), and the slew of secondary characters make it natural, where as most DTV films force the drama. The setting in the beautiful areas of South Africa, make the film a travelogue of the area, highlighting some of the gorgeous locations, and the not-so-gorgeous areas of South Africa. Blue Crush 2 also has a better grasp of the sub-culture of surfing, gliding us into the lingo, the world, and with some great stunts. All of these elements clearly make Blue Crush 2 better than its predecessor, and in turn, makes it one of the more enjoyable and surprising films hitting the DTV market in some time.
Surf’s up, dude.
The Blu-ray:
Audio/Video: Universal’s HD print is jaw-dropping beautiful. While it sports a different encoding (VC-1 compared to the usual AVC), but that’s technical mumbo-jumbo. All in all, the details are high, and the colors are incredibly rich. The DTS track is served well. Music pops in the speakers, deep bass at times, and clear dialogue. No complaints.
Commentary: Director Mike Elliott is joined by Associate Producer Greg Holstein and cast members Sasha Jackson, Elizabeth Mathis and Rodger Halston for a good chat, that’s not the most informative track around, but there’s plenty of laughter, trivia, and comments on the production.
All extras are in HD.
The Making of Blue Crush 2: This short featurette, might feel a little EPK, but offers the cast talking about the characters, the differences between the two films, and more.
The Hunt for Waves: This odd piece, features a split-screen demonstration of the green screen surfing, along with real footage, and general music video-ish footage of the South African locations.
Ripping it!: This is a far more interesting and informative look at crafting the stunts.
Surf Safari! Filming in South Africa: This features the actors talking about the pros and cons filming in S. Africa.
We get some Deleted Scenes that are wisely cut, despite some great location scenes; an interesting Alternative Opening the fleshes out the back story a little more of Dana’s mother; a Gag Reel, a Roxy promo, Trailers, and BD-Live, DBOX features.
The Film: Rating: 
The Blu-ray: Rating: 
