A surfer is towed by jetski onto the tip of a rising wave, the camera pulls back and the wave begins to swell. As your eyes re-adjust to the change in scale, the camera pulls back further, and within seconds the wave has risen to a monstrous 70 ft and a thousand tons of moving liquid arching over the surferís head.
Accelerating up to 55 mph, he flies through the arc of rushing water in a race to pull clear before it collapses upon him. This is the beginning of Billabong Odyssey, an epic journey that brought together the greatest surfers in the world with just one goal... to surf the biggest wave in history, and live.
Garnering critical and commercial acclaim across the world, UK viewers finally have their chance to see this awe-inspiring production as Revolver Entertainment releases the film theatrically on 15th October 2004.
Billabong Odyssey offers a breathtaking journey into the world of big-wave surfing. Forget everything you think you know about surf movies, this is a film that shatters pre-conceptions. In addition to boasting one of the most astonishing opening sequences in the history of filmmaking, this three-year, globetrotting quest for the world's biggest waves is nothing less than spectacular. Unrivalled in its abundance of jaw-dropping footage, the film is also a moving journey into the lives and psyches of the few surfers equipped to ride giant waves. A human tale of triumph and disaster, it has received accolades from critics and audiences alike, setting new box office records for a documentary feature and re-inventing the world perception of a documentary movie.
The genesis of the film came when Billabong founders decided to pay back the sport of surfing by funding an ongoing expedition to find the biggest waves. Equipped with helicopters, back-up teams, rescue ops and medics, the handpicked surfers would be ready to go at a momentís notice at the first sign of a major swell.
However none of the surfers were prepared for what would follow and the journeys end sees this disparate group of competitive, conflicting characters uniquely bonded by the terrifying power of the ocean.
Billabong Odyssey culminates in the world tow-in championships at legendary break JAWS, off the coast of Hawaii. A final sequence that almost claims the life of one of the expeditionís top surfers, it provides a nail biting climax to an utterly remarkable and completely unforgettable piece of filmmaking.
And as you watch the spectacular footage unfold, don't forget to keep reminding yourself, there are no special effects - what you are about to see is real.
Visit www.billabongodyssey.com for a great trailer to the movie.
