Lords of Dogtown (2005)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Lucas M

  
  Lords of Dogtown, is present by his director with a documentary style, the skateboard world in the early 70's. Is a entretaining film, very good to skate fans.

• Manu G

  
  Based on the true story of the legendary z-boys. Very good movie, really enjoyable and fun! The story is very primitive and intoxicating which really brings out the taste of such sweet filming. Very good acting from everyone and a superb cast! The true story of the kids who created… More
  Based on the true story of the legendary z-boys. Very good movie, really enjoyable and fun! The story is very primitive and intoxicating which really brings out the taste of such sweet filming. Very good acting from everyone and a superb cast! The true story of the kids who created modern skateboard culture is recreated in this drama. In the early '70s, skateboards were seen as a fad of the 1960s that had all but died out, but in a rough-and-tumble Venice, CA community known as "Dogtown," that was about to change. Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk), Stacy Peralta (John Robinson), and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch) were three guys who liked to surf the rugged beaches around Venice and hung out at the Zephyr Surf Shop, a store run by Skip Engblom (Heath Ledger) that stocked gear for adventurous surfers and skateboarders. With the advent of new urethane wheels that connected with concrete in a way old metal and rubber wheels could not, Tony, Stacy, and Jay began exploring ways to translate radical surf style to skateboarding, and the guys invented a new way to skate inside the smooth, round surfaces of empty pools, employing vertical moves and edge flips that added a new and dramatic spin to skating. It didn't take long for word to spread about the wild new style of the Z-Boys, and they quickly became local celebrities, and later nationwide skating stars, though sudden fame took its toll on these young men. The true story of Lords of Dogtown was previously the basis of the acclaimed documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, directed by former Z-Boy Stacy Peralta, who like Tony Alva served as a consultant on this project.

• Conner R

  
  Lords of Dogtown works as a documentary style narrative in that there is no one main focus aside from the skateboarding movement. No one character has dominance as the protagonist; these are just a group of kids living in the most influential time for the sport. Most of the… More
  Lords of Dogtown works as a documentary style narrative in that there is no one main focus aside from the skateboarding movement. No one character has dominance as the protagonist; these are just a group of kids living in the most influential time for the sport. Most of the storytelling is paced in the most odd way possible, but that's kind've what separates it from being just another teen drama. Shooting the movie hand-held and in what appeared to be mock 16mm makes you feel like you're actually there in the mid to late sixties with these people. It also doesn't hurt that this has a great cast and equally great performances. Heath Ledger's nerdy and false-toothed Skip is hard to forget, but then again everyone did an excellent job playing the respective characters. Some people may be turned off by the fact that it is so non-traditional in its storytelling, but most people won't have a hard time enjoying this gem.

• Unknown H

  
  Although this movie seems to have bitten off more than it could chew, dragging a little in the middle just for the length of it, and has one of the worst accents in the history of cinema courtesy of the late great Heath Ledger, this bio-pic of the Z-Boys from Venice Beach who shaped… More
  Although this movie seems to have bitten off more than it could chew, dragging a little in the middle just for the length of it, and has one of the worst accents in the history of cinema courtesy of the late great Heath Ledger, this bio-pic of the Z-Boys from Venice Beach who shaped the way skateboarding was not only perceived but practised all over the world, is worth a good set of stars to me. The acting could have been ridiculously over done by a somewhat unknown cast, but instead stayed pure and honest as is the nature of the story. An awesome soundtrack and subplot, following three boys, all of whom as names in the skateboarding world to this day, as they go from street ratting with boards to skating for sponsors and living the high life. They truly are the lords of their domain and this movie does them justice.

• Dan S

  
  Surprisingly lots of fun. Ledger's performance alone is worth seeing, as an eccentric skateboard coach who gives four talented guys a shot at winning. What it lacks in character depth it makes up in massive amount of energy and fun as it shows what these characters lives were all… More
  Surprisingly lots of fun. Ledger's performance alone is worth seeing, as an eccentric skateboard coach who gives four talented guys a shot at winning. What it lacks in character depth it makes up in massive amount of energy and fun as it shows what these characters lives were all about. Not really entirely memorable to be sure, but the scenes with the characters running from cops and other authorities creates a sense of lovable rebelliousness that somehow wins you over.

• KJ P

  
  Awesome! Since this is a true story, it makes me feel bad for the kids, because of how it shows what kids lives are like when they don't have a lot of money!

• Coxxie M

  
  god this is so middle school "we should be worshipped cause we're to cool to get a job we just wanna grow our hair and skate all day and the chicks love it!".... how obnoxious can u get??

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>Skip: "You gotta approach every day as if it's your last!"</i> The true story of the kids who created modern skateboard culture is recreated in this drama. In the early '70s, skateboards were seen as a fad of the 1960s that had all but died out, but… More
  <i>Skip: "You gotta approach every day as if it's your last!"</i> The true story of the kids who created modern skateboard culture is recreated in this drama. In the early '70s, skateboards were seen as a fad of the 1960s that had all but died out, but in a rough-and-tumble Venice, CA, community known as "Dogtown," that was about to change. Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk), Stacy Peralta (John Robinson), and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch) were three guys who liked to surf the rugged beaches around Venice and hung out at the Zephyr Surf Shop, a store run by Skip Engblom (Heath Ledger) that stocked gear for adventurous surfers and skateboarders. With the advent of new urethane wheels that connected with concrete in a way old metal and rubber wheels could not, Tony, Stacy, and Jay began exploring ways to translate radical surf style to skateboarding, and the guys invented a new way to skate inside the smooth, round surfaces of empty pools, employing vertical moves and edge flips that added a new and dramatic spin to skating. It didn't take long for word to spread about the wild new style of the Z-Boys, and they quickly became local celebrities, and later nationwide skating stars, though sudden fame took its toll on these young men. The true story of Lords of Dogtown was previously the basis of the acclaimed documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, directed by former Z-Boy Stacy Peralta, who like Tony Alva served as a consultant on this project. Lords of Dogtown is one of the best movies to come out of 2005. It has it's funny parts then its more dramatic meaningful parts, the two contrasts of the both make the film really enjoyable. If you love the whole surf/skateboard scene you will absolutely love it! Great acting by the skating trio and so is Heath Ledger as their manager per se, Skip Engblom. Skateboarding today is entirely different from the skateboarding in the '70s. Today's skateboarders mostly rely on high-flying octane tricks while '70s skateboarding is mostly land tricks. Most tricks are even derived from surfing. Its like surfing on land back in the seventies. Great story, great cast, great director. Kudos to the cast and crew for making an excellent film.

• Luke B

  
  The early days of skateboarding. Since I knew nothing of this it was very interesting, however it is far from a masterpiece. Eevry performance is noteworthy and there is a strong bond created between viewer and character. Some moments are skipped over too quickly and with many… More
  The early days of skateboarding. Since I knew nothing of this it was very interesting, however it is far from a masterpiece. Eevry performance is noteworthy and there is a strong bond created between viewer and character. Some moments are skipped over too quickly and with many biographical films you just feel as though too many of the good and interesting moments in life have been squashed together in such a short space of time. The skateboarding scenes are excellent with super camera work capturing each move brilliantly.

• Dean M

  
  Fantastic doc-drama in real-life 1970s Vince Beach of three young surfers deal with the new popularity of skateboarding in good and bad ways.

• Khris N

  
  Cool flick - love the 80's style! Something different - cool soundtrack

• James A

  
  Unless you like movies with bad acting and little boys with no shirts, Stay away!

• Todd S

  
  Lords of Dogtown is a film about the legendary Z-Boys, who are credited with the creation of modern day skateboarding. The film chronicles the height of their success in the late 70's and their struggles in creating and rising to the top of a whole new industry. The story is… More
  Lords of Dogtown is a film about the legendary Z-Boys, who are credited with the creation of modern day skateboarding. The film chronicles the height of their success in the late 70's and their struggles in creating and rising to the top of a whole new industry. The story is terrific, written by one of the actual Z-Boys, but the way it was filmed was problematic. The beginning of the film is very choppy and confusing, honestly it's difficult to know who is who and what's going on until about the half way point of the film. The Z-Boys are the basis and stars of the film, but it's Heath Ledger who steals the show. He really had a gift for picking up on every mannerism and movement a person makes. People who know his character, Skip, say it's scary how much like him Ledger was. He was a truly gifted actor who would have been a legend. As for the film, it was interesting and a lot of information about a sport I always liked but never really thought much about. It's a bit confusing and shot in a weird style, but overall it really was pretty good.

• David O

  
  Not a really good movie but this director has a reputation for that

• Cameron J

  
  Though Ledger puts on a particularly excellent performance as the terribly underused Skip Engblom, the film is still underdeveloped, somewhat unengaging, drawn-out, confusing and has little actual storyline progression that's sloppy when available. I believe I can best describe… More
  Though Ledger puts on a particularly excellent performance as the terribly underused Skip Engblom, the film is still underdeveloped, somewhat unengaging, drawn-out, confusing and has little actual storyline progression that's sloppy when available. I believe I can best describe "Lords of Dogtown" as neither good nor bad, just not very interesting.

• Mike T

  
  Catherine Hardwicke takes a pretty interesting approach to this material, infusing it with a nice aesthetic quality for the most part. Despite some ugly superimpositions, this is a visually solid movie. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of the aspects involved.… More
  Catherine Hardwicke takes a pretty interesting approach to this material, infusing it with a nice aesthetic quality for the most part. Despite some ugly superimpositions, this is a visually solid movie. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of the aspects involved. Heath Ledger's performance is the only consistently convincing one out of the bunch. I was particularly disappointed in Emile Hirsch's whiny, stilted work in this. The most dominant and blatant flaw here is in the writing. The screenplay is written by a skateboarder (Stacy Peralta) and it shows. The characters can be downright detestable, but are frequently portrayed as endearing in forcefully sentimental scenes. As far as plot construction goes, it's a sloppy venture as well. It's a heartfelt, although amateurish documentation of subject matter that doesn't particularly interest me. I assume that teenage boys are the target audience, for the most part. Maybe they would enjoy it, although viewing these young men as role models is questionable considering some of the behavior glamorized in the film.

• Lee K

  
  After viewing this I had no trouble at all placing it in my top movies of all time list! Great 70's vibe to the film which if done properly eg: The Devil's Rejects, can be a thing of beauty. Good solid performances from all involved expecially from the always great and late… More
  After viewing this I had no trouble at all placing it in my top movies of all time list! Great 70's vibe to the film which if done properly eg: The Devil's Rejects, can be a thing of beauty. Good solid performances from all involved expecially from the always great and late Heath Ledger. i did a bit of researching on the net after watching this as i always do on films that are based on actual events, and it was very interesting to see the people that these guys played. This film also introduced me to actor Emile Hirsch, who i just adore watching work.

• Lea L

  
  Lords of Dogtown - They came from nothing to change everything.. <br/> <br/>A fictionalized take on the group of brilliant young skateboarders raised in the mean streets of Dogtown in Santa Monica, California. The Z-Boys, as they come to be known, perfect their craft in… More
  Lords of Dogtown - They came from nothing to change everything.. <br/> <br/>A fictionalized take on the group of brilliant young skateboarders raised in the mean streets of Dogtown in Santa Monica, California. The Z-Boys, as they come to be known, perfect their craft in the empty swimming pools of unsuspecting suburban homeowners, pioneering a thrilling new sport and eventually moving into legend.. <br/> <br/>good movie..

• Remi L

  
  =) This is why Cali's the ish

• Lovable M

  
  Some great performances and a good movie overall.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings