Best Skateboarding Movies

Today our friend David over at Longboards Lab is doing a roundup of the best skateboarding movies - rad! Read on, fellow shredders!

The best skateboarding movies around provide a fun blend of sporting entertainment. There are fantastic scenes of breathtaking stunts, flips, and ollies. Skateboarding skills interplay with genres like drama, action, and even comedy themes sprinkled with a little romance. Whatever your style, be sure to tune in and immerse yourself in the best of half pipes, grinds, grabs and more!

Waiting for Lightning
The 2012 documentary-style personal story, rings true vividly, highlighting the theme from “tragedy and triumph.” Here’s a storyline that most persons can readily identify with or try to emulate in their struggles. The lead character portrays the life of professional skateboarder, Danny Way, who experienced a rough start in life. However, with personal grit and determination, he seemingly defies the odds to achieve his dreams. What better way to rise above any challenge, by viewing the lead actor perform death-defying stunts and tricks after taking huge falls and personal setbacks? To jump the Great Wall of China on a skateboard is no mean feat, but, like most life lessons, Day proves that anything is possible if the mind and will are in sync, despite any obstacles in your way.

Some of the best scenes from the film include Day leaping from a helicopter into a skateboarding ramp and conceptualizing and building the mind-boggling ramp to scale the Great Wall of China. Supporting actors in the film include Laird Hamilton and Rob Dyrdek. The movie provides excellent high-quality digital streaming that puts you right on the pulse of the action.

Skateboard Madness
If you’re interested in how skateboarding started and its progress through time, then Skateboarding Madness is a must-watch. Set in the 1980s, the comedic storyline centers around a less-than-ambitious sports photographer who’s set to lose his job unless he could produce something spectacular in short order.

Amidst the comedy, the film gives one a sense of the early development of skateboarding as a sport. It’s rated among some of the best skateboarding movies around. It also includes scenes of surfing, wind skating, and snowboarding as well as ideas of how the skateboarding craze evolved. The film also provides excellent footage with appropriate background music on skateboarding techniques, stunts, and tricks.

The lead actor himself provides plenty of laughs as he blunders his way to “stardom” after his attempts to cover a skateboarding competition in the San Francisco Bay goes awry. After his assignment goes begging, he ends up on an exciting and informative, yet hilarious road trip to some of the best skateboarding parks around the San Francisco Bay area. The director is Hal Jepson, and the cast includes Kurt Ledterman, Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, Surf Punks and Gregg Ayres.

Stoked: The Rise and Fall of The Gator
The 2002 movie is a documentary about the professional career of skateboarder Mark “Gator” Rogowski and the emerging popularity of skateboarding in Southern California. Set in the early1990s, it presents a gripping, yet haunting tale of one of the most talented and promising skateboarders ever. The film tells the story of the fame, fortune, and tragic fall of a Rogowski, and is a blend of period scenes with memories of skateboarding in it’s “pure” form. A complex portrait of Gator’s stardom, it shows the events that led to his unfortunate demise from the skateboarding arena.

Viewers will get a rare opportunity to see skateboarding through the eyes of many pioneers of the craft and their iconic rise to fame and glory. The film is listed as one of the best skateboarding movies to hit the big screen. It’s choc-full of action, personal interviews, and history of the fast-growing interest in skateboarding as a competitive sport. Directed by Helen Stickler, it stands out for quality, reality, and great entertainment. See the exploits of Gator as he executes his expert half-pipes and other superb skills of a talented but troubled star. Stars in the movie include skater Tony Hawk, Jason Jesse, John Brinton Hogan and Mark “Gator” Rogowski himself.

Thrashin
Thrashin is a 1986 dramatic movie which is also called Skate Gang. The film draws its plot around up-and-coming skateboarder, Corey Webster (Josh Brolin), who dreams of making it big in the future. A highly intense drama unfolds when the leading star’s love interest turns out to be a close relative of one of the most feared skateboarding gangs in Los Angeles. Corey navigates between practicing his downhill stunts while trying to escape with his life on occasions. The emotional upheaval takes a toll on his attempts to stay focused on his dreams. Tensions increase when Corey finally gets the opportunity to out-perform his biggest rival, despite having an injured arm. The action climaxes with him zooming past his fiercest opponent, and wins a contract to start a professional skateboarder career. He also earns the admiration and respect of his enemy and can thrive both professionally and romantically.

Watching the movie will take you back in time to the emerging skateboarding culture and its influence on the punk rock era of the 1980s. It also portrays many popular skateboarding groups of the time such as the Banshees, Vice Squad, and Siouxsie.

Street Dreams
If you’re a die-hard skateboarding fan and love a good action drama movie, then Street Dreams will keep you hooked. It’s a throwback to the 1970’s skateboarding circle in the Midwest where little is known or appreciated about skateboarding. The main character (Paul Rodriguez) plays teenage skateboarder Derrick Cabrera who dreams of making it onto the big stage despite little support from family and friends. Nevertheless, Cabrera draws on his inner strength and continues to sharpen his skills, narrowing it down to one specially crafted stunt. Jealousy soon raises its ugly head when fellow skateboarders realize his immense talent and potential. As the walls begin to close in on him from every angle, and his battles increase, he decides to break free and leave his hometown. Trouble also follows him as he qualifies for the amateur contest in Tampa Florida. Once again, he’s abandoned by people he thought he could trust. However, fate is kind to him and with the help of a few new friends he’s able to showcase the astonishing trick he’s been practicing. A grind down a handrail on a crooked flip at a 360 degrees angle propels him to get the attention of the professionals finally.

One of the best highlights of the movie is the fact that actual skateboarders perform stunts and tricks. It’s a riveting story of self-belief and determination and will appeal to teenagers who have a passion and want to achieve greatness. Supporting roles are by Ryan Schecker, Terry Kennedy and Rob Dyrdek.

Awesome roundup, David! We're ready to set down our boards (and Board Blazers!) and pop some corn instead of ollies for a change. Go catch one of these killer skater flicks and let us know what you think!