2005PG-13

First Descent

Name: First Descent
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2005-12-02
Rating: 7.2

Documentary1h 50m

🍅52%

🍅

52%

Tomatometer

🍿

86%

Popcornmeter

7.2

TMDB

Storyline

First Descent is a 2005 documentary film about snowboarding and its beginning in the 1980s. The snowboarders featured in this movie (Shawn Farmer, Nick Perata, Terje Haakonsen, Hannah Teter and Shaun White with guest appearances from Travis Rice) represent three generations of snowboarders and the progress this young sport has made over the past two decades. Most of the movie was shot in Alaska.

Details

DirectorsKevin Harrison, Kemp Curly

ReleasedDec 2, 2005

Reviews

7 reviews · 6 critics

3 fresh · 3 rotten

Critics consensus

“This snowboarding doc scores with its dazzling array of snowboarding stunts and beautiful scenery, but loses points with shameless product placement and an overlong runtime.”

52% TomatometerRotten Tomatoes

Mark Holcomb

RTVillage VoiceDec 6, 2005

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.

Richard Roeper

RTEbert & RoeperDec 5, 2005

They're amazing athletes.

Mike Clark

RTUSA TodayDec 2, 2005

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

Joshua Starnes

RTComingSoon.netMar 22, 2011

Despite some moments of truly athletic beauty First Descent is a fairly empty sports documentary that celebrates the gloss of the lifestyle, but doesn't do much to try and get under its skin.