First Descent

I have a sneaking suspicion that First Descent is a huge put-on, the latest jape from Christopher Guest and his merry band of mockumentary tricksters. How else to explain the film's hilarious combination of self-congratulatory hyperbole and absolute banality? In this advertisement for ESPN's X Games disguised as a documentary, viewers are granted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to follow five of the best pro snowboarders in the world as they seek out virgin terrain on mountains in Alaska. By the time the film gets around to its "wackily obsessive Japanese fans" segment, Guest might be saying: “You know, we can't run with this—it's just too clichéd.” But he'd probably have loved the historical element, faking the footage of the sport's origin in the long ago days of 1995, with all those crazy rebellious snowboarders getting dissed by skiers at the resorts and banned from the lifts. My gosh, has it really been 10 years from those early indignities to the glory of snowboarding today, a sport sponsored by mega-corporations selling over-caffeinated sugar water and fast food to teenagers? Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include the 22-minute “AK and Beyond” behind-the-scenes documentary, two deleted scenes (7 min.), a “Top of the World: Wescam” featurette on the helicopter camera (6 min.), a six-minute “Big-Mountain Riding” do's and don'ts featurette featuring costar Nick Perata, five minutes of “extended snowboarding action,” “A Thousand Words” photo montage (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so doc.] (M. Johanson)