Title: Rise
Author: Warwick Patterson / MTBFilms.com
Running Time: 30 minutes (+DVD extras including "The Circus")
Format: DVD and VHS (PAL only)
Action: DH, dirt jumping, street, freeride, BMX
A few years ago now, Warwick Patterson put together "The Circus", a recap of the 2001 World Cup season that racer-heads worldwide salivating over it's fantastic camerawork and music. When word hit the street that Warwick was working on a new film we jumped at the chance to hook up a review copy and see if Warwick had churned out another quality release
Action:
'Rise' kicks off with the guys from the Canadian 'Oryx' team riding some pretty cool downhill trails on hardtails, dirt jumping and generally doing some pretty cool stuff. You then get to check out Dustin Adams blasting trails on his moto and his downhill bike, some World Cup action, the Be-One team riding trails and street while on-location shoots spirit you away to catch Andrew Neethling in South Africa and John Kirkaldie in New Zealand.
The 'Rise' blurb says "This movie is about the simple love of riding a bike that so many different people around the World enjoy. Turning the pedals, spinning two wheels across mountains and dirt, and leaving behind the industrial disease of city life." and for the most part this is true, it shows people from different walks of life and with different riding interests just 'doing what they do'.
The down-side to this is that a lot of the video feels like filler, with nothing particularly inspiring or exciting going on. It's kind of like watching any local rider anywhere riding a track at their own pace; it's interesting to watch, just not something that's going to have your jaw hitting the floor while you fumble hopelessly for the rewind button.
Camerawork / Cinematography
Warwick and his team deliver the sort of slick camerawork you expect from their earlier releas. These guys really know how to capture the speed and skill of riders on film though this ability is offset somewhat by the fact that some of the action they're filming is pretty tame.
Soundtrack:
A mix of hip-hop and punk much like 'The Circus', my favourite track is the Swollen Members / Nelly Furtado duet.
Originality:
'Rise' is definitely something original; a look at the different types of riding that people everywhere choose to do rather than a full-on "Check out these insane huckers, they're rockstars damn it!" video. It's something fresh and something a little bit different for your video collection.
Overall:
While Warwick achieves what he set out to do with this video, I'm not sure that it's what people want to see. It's a well filmed and slickly edited film but the lack of serious action limits it's re-watchability. You do get the full video "The Circus" as a DVD extra though, so it's really 2 videos in one which just might swing your opinion a little when it comes time to buy.
5 out of 10
