It's a treacherous, vivid and compelling ride, and Peralta is in his element assembling and seamlessly integrating old footage with new.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 22, 2019

Lively look at big wave surfing.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 1, 2011

Just short of dropping you into the ocean with a surfboard, Riding Giants serves as the definitive (and immersive) guide to the essence of all that is surfing."

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 17, 2010

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 8, 2009

This even more exhilarating documentary focuses more on the history of the sport.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 7, 2008

This is vicarious cinema at its best.

| Aug 5, 2008

At its heart, Riding Giants is a work of pure joy.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | May 26, 2006

Easily bearing comparison with Bruce Brown's seminal The Endless Summer, this stands as the second-best surf documentary ever made.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 1, 2006

It's all pretty swanky.

| Feb 9, 2006

Peralta has a great sense of pacing and a good eye for B-roll footage.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 5, 2005

Through gently panned-over photos (one of many debts to Burns) and home-movie footage, Peralta traces the graceful arc of the sport, its culture, and its icons.

| Mar 5, 2005

...an enjoyable, well-paced look at the discovery and evolution of big wave riding

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Jan 29, 2005

Wonderfully entertaining while being genuinely educational.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 15, 2005

Even for people who know little about surfing, the film should prove a fascinating crib sheet.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 17, 2004

Entertaining, informative and insightful, this is a hugely enjoyable film that stands a good chance of picking up the Best Documentary award come Oscar time.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Dec 4, 2004

| Original Score: 7/10 | Dec 4, 2004

Like an adrenaline rush, Riding Giants is fun for a while but it ends on a comedown.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 30, 2004

If you can't swing a Hawaiian vacation, this may be the next best thing.

| Oct 29, 2004

Gets a lot of mileage out of a familiar topic, in large part thanks to Peralta, an insider whose enthusiasm for the sport is contagious.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 7, 2004

Peralta is smart to focus on the personalities in surfing, rather than just giving us a Warren Miller-style compendium of awesome surfing footage.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 1, 2004