First Descent: Critic Reviews

[A] sometimes thrilling extreme-sports doc.

If this chronicle of snowboarding has no more heft than a fresh coat of powder, it's awfully fun to roll around in.

An adequate if slightly overlong history of the sport, Descent adheres to the same storytelling trajectory as documentary predecessors on surfing and skateboarding.

Curley and Harrison have created a surprisingly tedious, overblown defense of a sport that, while ushering in the era of "extreme" games, doesn't boast the cinematic potential or charismatic stars of its cousins on the asphalt and aquatic waves.

First Descent comes off as an overlong, overstuffed promo for an 'industry' that hasn't needed promoting since the movie's target audience was in diapers.

Adrenaline rules, dude. If only the movie would give the audience more of it.

A sports documentary that occasionally veers toward becoming a lovesick advertisement for a popular sport but winds up celebrating with sweet earnestness the headstrong individual and his or her community of likeminded renegades.

First Descent is boring, repetitive and maddening about a subject you'd think would be fairly interesting.

Visually, this is one of the most arresting sports documentaries in years, and it doesn't skimp on the visceral thrills, either.

For nonsnowboarders, it's hard to figure out what those fans are so excited about.

There's probably a good snowboarding movie coming some day. This isn't it.

Pic displays filmmakers Kevin Harrison's and Kemp Curley's love of snowboarding, but suffers from an unjustifiably long running time, considerable repetition and a generally awkward structure.

An overlong and surprisingly dull documentary about snowboarding.

Equal parts historical retrospective and ESPN-style thrill ride.

What should have been a thrilling 90-minute sport adventure runs on for 20 more repetitive minutes. First Descent is exciting, but less would surely have been more.

If you've ever wanted to get a taste of the slopes from the comfort of a movie theatre, this film will do.

If you're a diehard snowboarding freak, then welcome to your new favorite movie.

If this had been an IMAX film, it could have been even more spectacular. It could also have been forty-five minutes shorter.