It's hard to imagine what Movie Mask might do to the scantily clad heroes of John Stockwell's
Holly McClure (Crosswalk) says, "I really enjoyed this movie for a lot of reasons but mostly because it introduces the sport of surfing as I've never seen it before. I also like the fact that the hero turns out to be a woman who gets her dream and her man! If you've ever been curious about surfing and you can't go to Hawaii to see the biggest waves in the world, do the next best thing and see this movie!"
Anne Navarro (Catholic News) writes, "
Brian Shun (
Not everyone was pleased. "Despite the positive messages about conquering fears and being true to your dreams," says Paul Bicking (Preview),
Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) says, "Stockwell … deserves some credit for breathing a bit of new life into a genre which has never been accused of originality. With a fresh-faced, hard bodied cast and some magnificent camera work,
Phil Boatwright calls the surfing "awesome," but he is worried that, although these female characters show considerable dedication to their work, they seem to be "exploiting their bodies in order to gain acceptance." He concludes with a caution. "Note to my younger readers: It's a natural desire to want to look at the opposite sex. And sexuality is certainly a driving force in this realm. But, because our culture is so dominated by sexual exploitation, maybe we should be careful about how often we expose ourselves to things sexual."
Steven Isaac (Focus on the Family) remarks he was surprised at the film's emphasis of the dangers that surfers face out there on the waves. He adds, "It's too bad other dangerous activities presented in the movie (sex and wild partying) aren't given as much scrutiny."
Mainstream critics celebrated the exhilarating cinematography, engaging performances, and the unusually compelling story.
But MaryAnn Johanson (Flick Filosopher) argued from a different point of view. "