This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I'm gonna be totally honest, I liked this movie a lot, but it wasn't quite what I expected - or what I hoped for. First Descent's biggest problem is that it can't decide whether or not it's a history of snowboarding, or a movie focusing on six snowboarders, including legend Shaun Farmer and current superstar Shaun White, going freeboarding in the Alaskan mountains. It's footage is spectacular, particularly that of former world champ Travis Rice as he races to outrun an avalanche he's accidentally triggered, but I guess I had hoped to learn more about the boarders and their motivations than I did. The history was truncated more than just a little bit, but was enough to whet the appetite a bit.My experience in seeing it was marred by a middle aged couple sitting across the isle from my fiancée and I, talking loudly and being generally obnoxious. They seemed either drunk or high, or both, but it was very distracting.As a huge fan of Senor Blanco (and others), I definitely enjoyed the movie enough to recommend it to other boarders or boarding fans (I fall into the latter category), and will most certainly pick up the DVD when it's released. I enjoyed the glimpse into the way White thinks, even though I would have liked more of that part of the movie and less of the "history". If you're not a snowboard fan, however, you may find yourself bored to the max. The movie slows to a crawl at times. Overall, though, it wasn't a bad little film, and I can recommend it for fans of the sport.On my Popcorn scale, it gets 3 1/2 out of five popcorn boxes, and a medium salt rating for action and language.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It puts you in a great mood. There is one amazing scene after another of snowboarders doing insane freestyle and big mountain riding. The mix of the new generation riders (Shaun White, Hannah Teeter, and Travis Rice) with Terje from the 90's and Shawn Farmer from the early days of snowboarding (late 70's through 80's) gives you the full spectrum of different riding styles. The movie jumps back and forth from these 5 big names doing a trip together in Alaska searching for some back country riding to the documenting of snowboarding's history. I feel the two different focuses kept it more interesting and made the movie more enjoyable. I don't think the movie was too over the top in its effort to promote snowboarding nor do I think it exaggerated its impact on the ski resorts or the world. It seemed balanced, realistic and factual from my own knowledge of snowboarding which dates back to the early 90s. If you're a soccer mom that watches Oprah and soaps most of the time this may not be very exciting to you but if you have a love for sports, the outdoors and some excitement you should be able to enjoy this very easily like I did.

The best thing about "First Descent" is that it lives up to its promise from the trailer of "no wires", "no special effects", and "no stunt doubles". Unfortunately, although this snowboarding documentary is occasionally thrilling, it only skims the surface of its subject matter and manages to wear out its welcome by the time the end credits roll.The primary fault of "First Descent" is that it is two movies in one, and neither is given enough time. The first is a history of the sport since its conception. Intercut with this is the story of five snowboarders (Shawn Farmer, Terje Haakonsen, Nick Perata, Hannah Teter, and Shaun White) on a trip to Alaska to board down untouched powder in the Alaskan mountains (these rides are called "first descents"). Thankfully, despite the fact that the movie is produced by MD Films, none of the boarders ever crack open a Mountain Dew for the camera.The historical section of "First Descent" is a straightforward primer on the sport. Archival footage is mixed with interviews from dozens of authorities in the community. Several interesting topics are touched upon including snowboarding's growth from the X-Games to the Olympics, the effects corporate sponsorship, and the influence of filmmakers and photography on the spread of snowboarding's popularity.Unfortunately, each of these topics is only allotted several minutes and is paid lip-service rather than explored to any satisfactory depth. Certain topics such as the ties between the snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding beg for their own segment, but are only mentioned in passing. Furthermore, these issues represent only a fraction of the running time from the historical section. Much of the history of the sport, as presented, turns out to be less than compelling and is suffocated by a constant barrage of snowboarding stunt clips. Although some of the footage is impressive, it soon becomes repetitive and tiresome.The Alaskan sequences, although flawed, are the more interesting segments and feature new material produced for the film. This material is exquisitely well-shot and is often awe-inspiring. The sheer size of the peaks and their near vertical drops are captured well enough to convey a tangible sense of danger. The boarders are seen performing death-defying stunts, some of which are mind-boggling in execution. One boarder even unwittingly starts an avalanche, only to narrowly escape courtesy of some impressive boarding.These images make one wonder why production companies decide to spend inordinate amounts of money on visual effects (see the avalanche scene from 2002's "xXx") when there are daredevils out there who will give you the real deal and have a great time doing it. It is likely that skill in capturing these stunts is the reason "First Descent" is seeing a release on the big-screen, especially since the historical sections would be more at home on television rather than in large format.Each of the Alaskan boarders is given a background as to their history in the sport. However, these introductions are only around five minutes each, and for the most part these athletes are thrust into their "runs" down the Alaskan mountains before the viewer gets to know them. Again, intriguing issues such as how one of the boarders, Hannah, is a woman in a man's sport are given only cursory attention. The weakness of this is that although the boarders are exposed to dangerous situations in the mountains, the viewer has trouble caring about their plights beyond them being "man versus nature". Additionally, since just about all of the Alaskan sequences take place on the mountains with boarders on solo-runs, neither the personalities of the boarders nor the bonds between them can be developed. When the boarders gush about how they have "grown" or "bonded" with each other over the trip, their comments lack resonance.Fundamentally, "First Descent" tries too hard to be the snowboarding documentary to end all others, and the result is a lack of focus. The film's length is not enough to illustrate snowboarding's entire history and the story of five boarders in Alaska. In trying to cover all the bases, "First Descent" ends up covering none of them well enough. However, a longer running time would have proved equally fatal as the film sometimes drags along at its current length.The better approach would have been to focus in on only one of the two main story lines. Of the two, the human element is most compelling. A more in-depth look at the five boarders would not only be more emotionally satisfying, but the best snowboarding footage (of their runs) could be retained. Interestingly, 2001's skateboarding doc "Dogtown and Z-Boys", although stylistically inferior to "First Descent", featured a commitment to character that ultimately proved to be more effective.If you are a snowboarding nut, see "First Descent" in theaters to truly appreciate the stunts captured for the film. Otherwise, you should consider skipping this one. As pure eye candy, "First Descent" is an 8/10. As a documentary however, it's closer to 4/10. Taken as a whole, its rating falls somewhere in between.

From skate board to snowboard, the evolution of the latter into Olympic contender has been inspiring. The documentary about the history of snowboarding called "First Descent" is at times as breathtaking as the long Alaskan runs five of the world's best take in the film, which cuts in historical footage of the sport with modern helicopter shots that both magnify and reduce the colossal feats these young and not so young boarders perform.With only the limited vocabulary of voice overs of the snowboarders, repeating "gnarly" enough to make me forget arthritic joints, the film misses opportunities to describe technicals like acrobatics and boards in informative ways. I am not asking for inane commentary readily available for televised college and professional football; I just would like a deeper look at the details of the sport rather than repetitious exclamations of awe accompanied by sequences that begin to look alike from a birds-eye perspective.The film does capture the natural rhythms of descent and diction endemic to an uncomplicated sport—for that I am gratified and forever respect the brave souls who traverse Alaskan peaks rather than leisurely hike the lowlands as I did a few years ago. The feats of the very young Shaun White and very seasoned Terje Haakonsen give both a visual feast and a verifiable history of the sport embodied in the two famous boarders.In no way, however, could I see the pure white mountains as the helicopter does so many times giving an IMAX experience without IMAX. The cinematography is the major reason to see this slight documentary, unless, of course, you are a boardhead.