- 9
...a seductive love-of-the-sport documentary...
—Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly
- 8
— LA Weekly
- 8
The overarching fact about these surfers is the degree of their obsession. They live to ride, and grow depressed when there are no waves. They haunt the edge of the sea like the mariners Melville describes on the first pages of Moby Dick.
—Roger Ebert Roger Ebert
- 8
...combines cool archival footage and interviews with the legendary surfing stars' smooth ride.
— E!
- 8
A spectacular but overlong surfing doc.
—Jonathan Foreman New York Post
- 7
After bemoaning the loss of paradise, trampled by johnny-surf-latelys, the film has an elegiac moment, but decides to soldier on, and in so doing, loses much of its charm.
—Chris Barsanti filmcritic.com
- 7
...Peralta has become a more relaxed filmmaker, and when he trusts the haunting sight of a giant wave breaking to speak for itself, the movie reaches the sublime heights of its subject.
—Benjamin Strong Village Voice
- 7
...unlike Dogtown, a film with real grit and insight, Riding Giants at times feels puffy and dippy.
—Kim Morgan Reel
- 7
While not quite as exuberant as his previous feature documentary, DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS, skater-turned-filmmaker Stacy Peralta brings the same level of respect and enthusiasm to the subject of surfing.
—Ken Fox TV Guide
- 7
...a strong follow-up to his fantastic skateboarding doc, Dogtown and Z-Boys.
—Allison Benedikt Chicago Tribune
- 7
...a dazzling documentary tribute to big-wave surfing...
—Leah Rozen People
- 6
Fans hoping for surfing's answer to Dogtown And Z-Boys will be disappointed to learn that Riding Giants isn't anywhere near as focused as his previous film.
—Nathan Rabin Onion AV Club
- 6
...overlong but entertaining...
—Stephen Holden New York Times
- 6
Essentially a moving Abercrombie and Fitch catalog, Riding Giants is a boy's club chronicle of surfing that, while gnarly to look at, feels like too much homework.
—Ed Gonzalez Slant Magazine
- 5
Those who enjoy listening to adult men enthuse about other adult men in a nonsexual albeit highly excited fashion will also find plenty to enjoy here.
—Manohla Dargis Los Angeles Times