The Bones Brigade, we've heard/read/seen so much about them, know their influence and admire their contributions to the sport of skateboarding, so it's about time for a recap.Once again Stacy Peralta tasked himself with chronicling the history of this (his) part of skateboarding history. And already it becomes tricky - because when the former coach of a team releases a documentary about it, one must be critical separating truth from pure euphoria. And this film has both.Besides the typical "it was so special"-, "we were the best"- and "we changed everything"-claims which appear to be mandatory for these kind of documentaries, there are also very critical and enlightening statements that broaden the insight. At some points Stacy even dares to contradict himself by crossing his statements with contrary ones of other skaters. This adds a lot to the credibility of this film as it shows that Peralta's vision and understanding of this story may not necessarily comply with others.But the real gem of this documentary is Rodney Mullen. Here we have a sophisticated skater who does not only understand how to push the boundaries of the sport but also how to put it into poetic language to describe it. His comparisons and metaphors citing Beethoven and Franz Kafka shine so bright that the following comments from other interviewees just fade. He emits honesty, passion and eloquence which a lot of others don't. Words like his are hardly ever found in your typical average sports documentary.What is again great about a Peralta documentary is that he has obviously done his homework, providing tons of historic material and weaving it together in a manner that is easy to digest and pick up. The music is good, the atmosphere is very positive and information value is definitely higher compared to other documentaries that try to chronicle the history (of parts of it) of a sport.But at several points the film just drifts away into over-self-glorification adding neither emotion nor information. But in the end it is very recommendable chronicle not to be missed, especially from skateboard fans. Who ever wants to see the "other side" of skateboarding from that time period is well advised to see "Rising Son - The legend of skateboarder Christian Hosoi" - it has much lower production values but explains pretty well that skateboarding was more than just boyscouts having fun.

I was one of the many fortunate skaters to have grown up during this unbelievable era of skateboarding, and even though i had watched all of the Bones Brigade videos countless times as a young obsessive skater, I still found myself surprised by so many of the things that these groundbreaking skaters had to say. It has been a while since i found myself reminiscing about my own young teen years but this film made me do exactly that, a mixture of thinking about friends and the freedom that skateboarding brought. Even if you aren't a fan of skateboarding, do yourself a favor and watch this film anyway, it is truly inspirational!

I grew up at the same time as these people in the movie and I was hardcore into skateboarding just like all of them. I had to buy the magazines to see them all doing their thing though because we didn't have camcorders and youtube back then. Anyway, I happily paid my $20 clams to purchase an HD copy of the film and watched it on the edge of my seat like a little kid in a candy store. It did not disappoint :-) I had no idea there was all of this drama behind the scenes, that was a real eye opener. The skating is very cool and the interviews are dynamite and it was a very fun trip down memory lane for me. The film is very interesting and engaging even if you are not all that into skateboards. 2 Thumbs Up from me and thanks very much to Stacy Peralta and the rest of the riders and crew that brought this excellent film to life!

A must see truly inspirational movie, especially if you're a skater.Covers the pioneering and determination progression of skating into the bedrock foundation of what we know today. Also the human trials and emotional difficulties of a team of kids coming of age and the pressures of competition and fame when the only thing they truly care about is skating with their mates.I started skating when i was about 10 in the street revolution of skating when bones brigade videos were released. Watching this movie is like traveling back in time and reminds me what life is really about.I knew the bones brigade movies and have always followed skating. I never knew that Tony Hawk was disliked so much by his peers. To stay in the sport and overcome bullying amplifies his achievement. Also its a real joy to learn more about the rest of the team especially Rodney Mullen, a real genius and captivating person.