The Race to Alaska movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The Race To Alaska

This entertaining documentary releases in theaters on May 20, 2022

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 39 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

“The Race to Alaska” is a visceral film, embodying the triumph over adversity of a real-life Amazing Race test of endurance. Picture the Iditarod on a boat: no motors, no support, and 750 miles of tumultuous waters. The feature film debut from director Zach Carver (TV series “Textual Intercourse”), “The Race to Alaska” recently completed a whirlwind 20 Film Festival run where it won countless awards and captivated audiences around the globe. Adventure Entertainment will release “The Race To Alaska” theatrically in cinemas in over 40 markets in North America on May 20^th, 2022, beginning with a special preview on the evening of May 19^th at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Los Angeles with the filmmakers in attendance for a Q&A.

This epic endurance race attracts the intrepid and unhinged who find their edge along a coastline that is as punishing as it is beautiful. There is an original score by Spencer Worth-Davis.

THINGS I LIKED:

“The Race to Alaska” showcases camaraderie and competition, immersing the audience in the racers’ emotions and experiences – hardship, danger, success, frustration, and elation. From the quirky to the sublime, from Olympic athletes to high schoolers, the characters in this film show that there’s no one way to do the hardest thing you’ve ever done.
The film leapfrogs from racer to racer, boat to boat, as they journey up the Pacific Coast.
“The Race to Alaska” mixes raw racer-shot footage with vast aerials and in-depth interviews to tell the story of the race’s improbable inception and the journey of the men and women who have answered the call to action. These everyday heroes challenge themselves to find their edge on an exhilarating, engineless charge through the Pacific Northwest, traversing one of the most complex and beautiful racecourses on Earth.
The editing by Greg King (“Lessons”) displays a fantastic sense of humor.
It’s truly inspiring to watch passionate people living life to the fullest.
It’s fun getting to learn a little bit about all of the different types of people who have entered the race over the last few years.
You get to see a whale and playful dolphins.
The dramatic Russian music used during pivotal, triumphant moments cracked me up.
Because the film documents many of the races over the past several years, you won’t see one clear winner in the end, but all of the people who have won since 2015.
Keep watching during the final rolling credits to see more footage of people who finished the race. What a proud accomplishment!
I thought it was really cute to end the movie with the same team that began the film.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

If you get seasick, you might actually get dizzy watching certain scenes.
The first part of the movie is fairly lighthearted and humorous. Then, everything gets pretty serious in the middle through to the end.
The majority of the profanity came from the mouths of the women.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

The race, itself, is actually very dangerous, so make sure your kids understand that.
Some “mild” profanity.

THEMES:

Ingenuity
Persistence
Mother Nature
The human spirit
Testing and pushing your limits
Total commitment
Overcoming challenges
Positive mindset

FUNNY LINES:

“It’s a bit of an anarchist race with very few rules. I like that.” – Wayne Gorie

INTERESTING LINES:

“It’s gotta be the only race that I know of where the winner is probably the least interesting thing about the race.” – racer
“The great unknown. So, this is going to get really hippie here. I think there’s something elemental to it and us, that there’s a link between ourselves and the sea. When you’re on the ocean, there are forces that are affecting you that are cosmic…you’re this tiny, little thing of this huge, force soup. I think there’s power in existing in unison with that power.” – Jake Beattie (The guy who thought of the Race to Alaska)
“As humans, we grow internally as people, individuals, and as a culture, we grow when we grapple at the edge of our ability. I think that makes stronger people.” – Jake Beattie