Sons of Summer, directed by Clive Fleury and starring Isabel Lucas, Temuera Morrison, and Joe Davidson, is a crime thriller set against the backdrop of Australia’s Gold Coast. The film follows Sean, who embarks on a road trip with friends to honour his late father. The journey takes a dangerous turn when Sean’s drug-dealing friend involves him in a poorly thought out heist, leading to a series of intense confrontations with a vengeful mobster.

The movie aims to capture the spirit of classic surfing films like Point Break, blending high-energy surfing scenes with a dramatic crime narrative. Unfortunately, its aim is a little off.

Despite its ambitious premise, Sons of Summer struggles to deliver any form of cohesive plot. The surfing sequences, while visually appealing, are overshadowed by an underdeveloped characters and it seems to be more of a pretty surfing montage project than a movie. The film’s attempt to balance crime drama with action results in a disjointed narrative that fails to grip you and Temuera Morrison is surprisingly laughable as Frank, the scary villain.

Any possible moments of tension are severely scuppered by convoluted, poorly executed subplots. The performances are largely fine, but the cast are often let down by a fairly terrible script and odd character decisions.

Although Isabel Lucas and Temuera Morrison bring star power to the cast and if you’re a fan of Neighbours you’ll get a kick from seeing Joe Davidson they’re given limited material to work with, resulting in performances that feel stilted and unconvincing. It’s one of those low budget films that has a more forgiving sheen to it due to foreign accents (unless of course you’re from Australian/New Zealand).

The film’s visual style and surfing bits show the natural beauty of the Gold Coast and the skill of the surfers involved. However, these elements are not enough to save the film from its narrative shortcomings and in fact draw more attention to them. The dialogue often feels forced, and the film’s attempts at emotional depth fall flat, meaning you struggle to care what’s going on by the end.

Sons of Summer is a film that might appeal to hardcore surfing enthusiasts looking for some on-screen wave action but it hardly makes for a compelling crime thriller.

An at times visually stunning but narratively weak film that fails to fully capitalise on its intriguing premise. The blend of surfing culture with crime drama has potential (see Point Break), but the execution leaves much to be desired, resulting in a film that is more style than substance.

Sons Of Summer is available On UK digital from Trinity Creative

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