Nicolas Cage’s 2025 hit movie The Surfer is a world of emotion crammed into 1 hour 43 minutes of intensity. It’s hot, frustrating, and somewhat annoying, and you can literally feel those flies stick to your face in the sweaty heat as your eyes are glued to the screen.
Something terrible should happen whenever a man goes to a beach in a full suit and closed shoes. They just don’t belong together, and we’re unsure how Nicolas Cage looks when he swaps his work suit for his wet suit. And that’s what he’s the perfect fit. Part stubborn, part silly he looks desperate, and since he’s a totally divisive (and often brilliant) actor, you either hate or love, your feelings towards him remain completely accurate during this movie.
It’s a simple enough plot, based in the tiniest part of Luna Bay, Australia and the twists and turns make you question your own sanity. You’ve got violence, desperation, insanity, madness, liberation, salvation and redemption rolled into one… in any given order. The character arcs are pretty flat, but significant. The filming is fantastic, as director Lorcan Finnegan ties the harsh Australian coast to human emotion.
The surf scenes are surprisingly limited considering the title of the movie. Don’t watch this expecting amazing surf shots as though you’re watching a STAB special. You’ll count one barrel, over quite average waves on an okay break. Nothing worth writing home about there, but hey, a wave is a wave, and if that’s your home break, you’ll want to surf it for sure.
The movie lacks a sticky soundtrack, but that makes its pace feel right. It is slow, but things accelerate at a watchable pace. It puts you on the shore, or car park for the most part and you don’t know whether to pity the lead or plea for his sanity.
Localism, one of any surfer’s favourite topic, is highlighted in an extreme way, and as the dad is consistently bullied throughout the movie, both by the surfers and the natural wildlife, you’ll be left with a tense brow throughout.
Does every surfer need to watch this movie? Absolutely not. Should every surfer watch it? Sure, why not… no harm done, but remember: it is barely about surfing… in fact, we’re not sure Nicolas Cage can surf at all, he’s got less clips than me!
