Surfing and superheroes*

I saw both Thunderbolts* and The Surfer at the cinema yesterday.

Superhero movies have become a bit of a punching bag for cinephiles and filmmakers alike as of late… which is understandable given how widely oversaturated the genre has become (often at the expense of other films which struggle to find an audience) and there have been plenty of criticisms made against superhero movies which I personally would be inclined to agree with, but that’s a story for another day. As somebody who is still an apologist for superheroes and superhero movies, I do feel like there’s a little bit of “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” at play here. Yes, I get the whole “superhero fatigue” argument, especially when some of the more recent films haven’t been very good, but there’s also been several superhero films coming out in the post-Endgame era.. that I have thoroughly enjoyed, and Thunderbolts* is definitely one of them.

It hardly reinvents the wheel and I don’t know if it’ll fully win over who are completely tapped out on superhero films, but it is a huge step in the right direction. It’s a more character-driven film, which is something that I think is vital when it comes to telling… any story, really, but with superheroes especially, it’s absolutely vital to keep your movie focused on the characters. I know it’s easy to scoff at Marvel’s pop-culture dominance, especially these days where they’ve been more hit-and-miss, but there is a reason why Marvel succeeded. I still maintain that if audiences didn’t give a shit about the characters, the MCU would not have lasted as long as it has, so it’s nice to see a film where Marvel keeps its focus on the characters and doesn’t prioritise its multiversal ambitions.

The action’s fun and the humour does get a few chuckle, but it’s also surprisingly emotional in areas, especially in its third act. I’m not ashamed to say this but I nearly welled up a little during the movie’s climax, which is grandiose and bombastic with big stakes but also kind of intimate and low-key (not to be confused with Loki, obviously) in its own weird way. Man, I love when blockbuster movies are able to pull off that type of dichotomy.

I hope both Marvel and DC can keep the ball rolling because I don’t want to see superhero movies devolve or fall by the wayside. I like superheroes. I think they can be made interesting. It just requires a bit more thought and effort.

So, yeah. I really enjoyed Thunderbolts and I also enjoyed The Surfer, which is a different beast entirely. It’s a strange and hallucinogenic affair with gorgeous visuals and a reliably gonzo performance from Nicolas Cage as the nameless titular character who just wants to buy back his childhood home and surf with his son. The only problem is he’s up against a gang of dudebro surfers and their charismatic spiritual leader, and they do NOT take kindly to outsiders. What follows is an escalating battle of wills as “The Surfer” endures constant humiliation from the surfers, is gaslit by the local community and pushed well beyond his breaking point as he risks losing everything.

I really enjoyed seeing Cage’s spiral into madness. Beyond all the Cageisms that we all know and love, I think most people forget that he is a genuinely brilliant actor who gives 110% to his roles, and this movie is no exception. He embraces this character with great gusto and it makes for delightfully uncomfortable cringe comedy, watching him constantly getting put through the ringer. Also, Julian McMahon was really good in this too. I’ve only ever seen him as Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four movies from the noughties and I never thought those movies really did him any favours, but here, he’s incredible. He’s charismatic, commanding and even kind of likeable, which only makes his character and his core philosophies all the more unsettling.

The Surfer is not for everyone. It’s slow, weird and doesn’t make for particularly easy viewing, but if you like quirky B-movies that are trippy as fuck, this might be worth checking out. I enjoyed it, mostly for the performances, the visuals and the themes that it tackles and I’d also recommend it if you’re a Nicolas Cage fan, but your mileage may vary.

I like going to the cinema.