Storm Surfers 3D

Theaters showing Storm Surfers 3D ought to create a splash zone. This exuberant documentary about the perennially stoked team of big-wave stalkers Tom Carroll and Ross Clarke-Jones takes audiences right into the barrel of the beast.

We slowly learn to see the water through their eyes, recognizing the different perils between lazy deep sea giants and the more brutish, tight curls that spit the brave straight onto the rocks.

The 3-D images of extreme surfing in "Storm Surfers 3D" feel groundbreaking. Or is that wave-breaking?

A bit thin on plot, but an unequivocal technical tour de force ...

It's as real as a blast of saltwater to the face, and the film's moments of human self-doubt are as fascinating as the superhuman antics on view.

The twin Australian ideals of outdoor adventure and ecstatic camaraderie achieve harmonic convergence in the visceral, extreme-sport thrill-ride Storm Surfers 3D.

Shot after shot provides the most convincing simulation of spending shack time in the barrel that most landlubbers will ever want or need.

Non-surfers may wish for a few more internal human conflicts to go with all of the man versus nature big-wave riding.

Filmic evidence of both mankind's folly and its boundless capacity for thrill-seeking still connected to the natural world.

Storm Surfers 3D is a thrilling ride into the world of surfing. If you can find it playing at a theatre near you, I highly recommend checking it out, whether you're into the sport or not.

It's dramatic, visually arresting and features two pretty interesting guys who love life, but it always feels safe and just a little predictable.

Just when you think you've seen enough, Mother Nature throws a few more breathtaking compositions your way.