User reviews

When I first heard about this movie, I thought it would be the greatest movie ever made. First of all, it's called Surf Nazis Must Die. Second of all, it's about an old fat black lady seeking revenge against a gang called the surf Nazis who killed her son. Third of all, it was released by Troma. It seems nearly impossible for somebody to screw this movie up, but they did. It was just one big boring scene after another and Momma Washington didn't do too much fighting with the surf Nazis. Somebody with talent needs to remake this would be tromasterpiece. This would be the end of my review but I need at least 10 lines. I don't understand why they think you can only describe a movie in 10 or more lines. And I have seen reviews that have been far less the 10 lines. How did they do that?

This film unashamedly attempts to replicate Kubrick's 'A clockwork Orange' and is also similar to other youth gang movies such as 'Romper Stomper' and 'Suburbia' The issues of radical politics, racism, disillusioned youth, vengeance and gang violence are all addressed, but there is nothing original about this film. There is excellent cinematography and an interesting synth score which seems appropriate. The story focuses around a the 'surf Nazis' the dominant surfer gang in California, they kill a young African American, but things go wrong for the gang when the victim's Mother seeks a bloody revenge. The story is simple and the acting pretty abysmal, but if you're a fan of the amateur charm of Troma movies then this probably won't bother you, as long as you accept there are a lot less laughs and a lot less tits than other Troma classics such as 'Class of Nuke 'em High'

...but the film fails to live up to it, unfortunately. No, not for the reasons that most other reviewers have stated. It's Troma...so I EXPECTED bad acting, thin plot, hilariously bad dialogue, etc. That's why I watch Troma flicks in the first place. No, the reason that Surf Nazis doesn't live up to its brilliant title is that it isn't outrageous enough. It's far too tame for a Troma film, as far as I'm concerned.

When I first heard about this movie, I was psyched up to see it. Why? Because when you think "Surf Nazis Must Die," in conjunction with the name "Troma Films," you just expect something completely twisted...full of sex, gore, and sick humor. You know...a TROMA movie. But the bulk of this movie just doesn't live up to the expectation that I had.

This is atypical Troma, and not even all Troma fans will appreciate it. But hey, I guess it's not that bad. But with a title like Surf Nazis Must Die, Troma should have done better.

The "surf nazis" are a kind of biker-punk gang who live in a post-cataclysm Los Angeles. They have swastika marks on their faces and clothes and go by the names of famous Nazis, ie. "Adolf" and "Mengele". They are barely seen to surf, and the scenes in which they do seem uncannily like they were filmed by someone else, for something else... and somewhere else. They barely even go to the beach.

There is some rubble and abandoned buildings around the surf nazis, as you would expect in a big city after an earthquake. But there are also some interior shots of domiciles that look like they could be in "Better Homes and Gardens". Did the earthquake miss them?

The movie's lack of consistency with its locations means it fails at creating a believable world, post-apocalyptic or otherwise.

There are other gangs in the movie, and ones that seem like they might have been a little more interesting, like a group of young skateboarders who call themselves "the earth surfers - riders of the hard wave". A character who comes out of left field is the African-American mother of a young man who was supposedly killed by one of the surf nazis.

There is also barely any violence in the film, or effects of any kind, though there are a few flashes of bare breasts. The movie has one undeniably violent scene toward the end, where a girl is hit with a speedboat. The collision isn't particularly bloody, but then we see her decapitated head floating in the water.

However unrealistic, at least it gave me something to write about here in an otherwise boring film. It took me until the end of the movie to realise that the surf nazis were supposed to be the bad guys. The film is an alleged exploitation classic. It's statements like these that the word "alleged" was invented for.

OK, OK, first of all, I love Troma. Lloyd Kaufman is a brilliant man, creating a company that is entirely based around camp horror with humor, most of them with talented actors (or untalented ones, just for old time's sake) and distributed them out to filmfans. You can tell a film is a Troma film if it includes the following: 1) B-movie actors (although, they do have SOME well known celebs in their films 2) Over-the-top gore and violence, not disturbing, more nasty and disgusting, but for humorous purposes.

3) Kinky sex scenes, filled with soft-corn porn, Lesbian interaction, outrageous sex-jokes 4) Virtually no plot. But a hilarious title for the film.

When I heard about "Surf Nazis Must Die", I probably jumped three feet in the air for joy. I mean, what else do you want? Surfing, Nazis, a angry Black woman, TROMA?!? It should be the PERFECT Troma film! Unfortunately, this particular film makes you wonder why Kaufman didn't kick director Peter George in the teeth after seeing the final cut of the film. In the end, the only thing the film succeeds in being a good Troma movie is the title...thats it.

Well, where do we start? There's virtually no plot. I know, I know, I wasn't expecting "On the Waterfront", but come on...even "The Toxic Revenger" had somewhat of a plot, and if not, over the top violence...this had nothing. The story set somewhere in the future (at least the 80's/early 90's version of the future, where tie-dye shirts are still in style apparently), where an Earthquake has destroyed most of the California coast line (ummm...ooook). Out of the chaos, surfing gangs begin a war to stake claim over the beach. One of the most ruthless gangs is....OK, is that obvious? The surf Nazis. The Nazis are really just a bunch of scraggly lookin' white supremacists who wear tethered clothing with poorly drawn swastikas written on them. Adolf is the leader...hmm, clever. He looks like he's about 40 years old, but hangs out with high school kids. The others are Eva, Sneg, Gangdala and Hook, and none of them have any back story (althought for some odd reason, they try to portray Sneg as being some dumb, naive teenager with a mother who is worried about him, in some pointless subplot). Adolf tries to unite all the gangs on the beach so they can rule the coastline (a plot line ripped off of the far-more superior film, "The Warriors"), but none of them want to be under the command of the Nazis, so one by one, they turn on them and are killed...end of that story. Now, there's a young man named Leroy with his tough-as-nails mother who live near the beach. Leroy, being black, is attacked by the Nazis and killed. This leads Leroy's Momma to escape from her retirement home and seek revenge against the murderers.

I basically told you the entire flick. It's that basic and small. You probably get more out of watching the trailer for the film than watching the actual film. The violence is surprisingly toned down, with virtually no gore, which makes it look like a film made over the weekend at a budget of $75 dollars. The fight scenes are poorly choreographed, looking like they improvised it at the set. The acting...eh, it's alright. One thing I noticed is that they tried to make this film look more serious than campy...which is the kiss of death, being that the film is called....SURF Nazis MUST DIE!!! Oh, thats another thing...it's called "SURF Nazis MUST DIE", but in the film, only three of them are actually killed (out of a gang of about 7, not including the youth punks). Scenes were long and boring, with very little pay off. The surfing scenes were nice, though. Obviously, it was footage of professionals surfing in Hawaii (California does NOT have that nice of waves) and most of the film was shot in my home town of Huntington Beach.

It you wanna watch a good Troma movie, watch "Tromeo & Juliet" or "Cannibal! The Musical!" instead. Leave this one to wipe-out, and hang to dry.

Well, I did not expect a "good" movie, but what I expected was at least somehow a funny and entertaining movie. However, I saw the worst movie ever. This movie is so boring and dumb, I do not know how you could excel it in terms of boringness and stupidity. Such kinds of movies only work with some self-irony, but this movie is lacking any kind of irony. When there is no sign of humor, are there at least some good splatter and gore effects? No, not at all. There should be a law against such movies and I can only warn everybody not to watch this movie otherwise you will have the worst 75 minutes of your life.

With a title like this, Surf Nazis Must Die had to be brilliant, hilarious and very low-taste. Boy was I wrong. This was just plain boring. No other word but boring. Almost NOTHING (I mean nothing) happened in the first half hour. All it included was some scenes of surfing and random conversations (some of which were mildly amusing). There is VERY little gore in this, which was extremely disappointing. Of course, many say that this is a "so bad it's good" movie or "if you don't like this movie, you are to serious." Well, I think this is a "so bad that it is downright appalling" movie. Troma really let themselves down with this one. If you want a good Troma movie, I suggest The Toxic Avenger or Tromeo and Juliet.

½/5.

Although the title, combined with the Troma label, will make most people go into this film with low expectations, I feel the need to say that "Surf Nazi's Must Die" is definitely worth seeing. A lot of the acting is sub-par, sure, and the writing isn't exactly fantastic, but it manages to be very entertaining throughout; the soundtrack, in particular, is fantastic. Certain scenes nicely incorporate off-key humor, yet the filmmakers didn't intend to make a comedy; in fact, they take themselves rather seriously, a decision which I'm sure is one of the reasons this film is so maligned. It seems like those involved in the making of this film were enjoying what they were doing, for the most part, and I think they made a well-paced, consistently interesting B-movie. Well worth seeing.

When the grandson of a gun wielding woman is murdered by neo-nazi surf punks in the post-apocalyptic future, this grandma hunts them down for some bloodthirsty revenge.

There is not really all that much surfing, at least not with the Nazis. Seems like mostly stock footage. I wanted to see gun battles on the water, but maybe I forgot that Troma could not afford such awesome things. The movie could just as easily been called "Beach Nazis".

What I like about this movie is that it makes no attempt to provide social commentary. It does not have a serious view of racism, or of white supremacist groups, or even of children leaving their families for gangs. It just has an angry woman trying to get revenge. Thanks, Troma, for just making a quick, fun, silly film and avoiding any attempt at depth.

For, amongst other things, the excellent soundtrack, for having a character called "smeg",for the lush shots of the sky and the bunker area, and for the immortal line "taste some of mommas home cooking Adolf", this films deserves 10 out of 10.

I think the films worst enemies were Troma themselves for the misleading cover art and hyping up the title by adding the "must die" part. I think many people will be disappointed because they are taken in by the cover and blurb. Here in Britain the film was originally released simply as "Surf Nazis" and featured a less sensational cover, you knew more what to expect, although the "a clockwork orange for the 1980's" tag line was a bit of a joke.

This is a total waste of one-plus hours that I will never ever get back. I am considering divorcing my formerly beloved partner, who forced me to watch this. How could she? I thought she loved me.

Even though I often love B movies, this one is a mess. Not an entertaining mess, just a mess. Somebody spent more than $100 on this -- there is more than one set, there is a full cast, there are costumes. The shots are generally clean and well set up. There may even be a plot, although it's a bit difficult to tell.

But the editing is inexplicable.

Troma is usually gloriously B, and full of deliciously unconvincing gore. In this case, they should have saved a couple of gallons of fake blood.

Be happy. Live long and prosper. Don't rent this.

Surf Nazis Must Die is one of the best films to be distributed by Troma and sadly, one of the least appreciated. The IMDb voters who briefly put the film in the bottom 100 should be strapped down and forced to watch Driving Miss Daisy until they come to their senses. I even disagree with the reviewers who lump the film in the "so bad it's good" category. I think Surf Nazis Must Die is simply good.

In comparison to many of its low budget contemporaries, the writing in SNMD is positively Shakespearian. The film has some semblance of a plot, the jokes are actually funny and the action is well paced. Most surprisingly, the film has a bizarre feel-good quality, which could almost be described as wholesome (if you look past the violence, sex and foul language). This is largely due to film's sympathetic heroine, the awesome Eleanor Washington, who vows to single-handedly take out the members of an evil beach gang (the titular "surf Nazis") after they kill her beloved son.

In addition to Eleanor, the film's minor characters also have a lot to offer. Smeg's relationship with his mother is hilarious and the surf Nazis are wonderfully tasteless, with members being named after Nazi "luminaries". The director makes several very obvious references to A Clockwork Orange, but despite their eye make-up and swastikas, these gang members are about as chilling as the Goonies.

The inevitable bloodshed is rather low key and the gore effects are simplistic at best. However, the innovative use of hooks and speedboats more than makes up for any lack of carnage. Unlike many zero budget action films, SNMD does not rely on blood splatter or gratuitous sex to pass the time - which under normal circumstances I would consider to be a huge failing. However, SNMD is generally in such poor taste and overflows with sardonic humour to the point where the film becomes utterly irresistible.

Surf Nazis Must Die is a brilliantly conceived beach holocaust drama/revenge thriller that you can enjoy with the entire family. Forget about the low IMDb rating and brace yourself for this evocative masterpiece.

I have only walked out on two movies (I should have walked out on "Election", too), and this was one of them. The other one was "Nightfall". I love a good "bad" movie, but this one is REALLY bad!

I'm a pretty big fan of Troma films and b movies in general but i found this movie very difficult to watch all the way through. The first hour or so was just so dull, nothing remotely interesting happens at all. The action gets a little more exciting towards the end but its nothing to write home about.

I expected outrageous, over the top violence, sex and randomness but it just never really happened. The ridiculous plot had the potential to make a classic troma flick so its a shame that it was so poorly executed.

One of the only parts of the film i really liked was the main musical theme, the crazy synth really went well with the bizarre movie idea.

Because many people wrote about how "cult" this movie was, I rented it one time at the video store. I don't care if its made by Troma or not, it is just a whole load of sh*t... The basic story may be great, a surfer gang of Nazis trying to invade Californian beaches. But the outcome - forget about it. The whole movie shows only the inability of the makers, especially in the ridiculous "fighting" scenes. They could not even make the Nazis look like real Nazis, with Uniforms and so on or at least in Skinhead Style. Despite some senseless dialog, the movie has not much to offer. No sex, no gory violence, except for the basic idea a very conventional story - Surf Nazis take over the beaches, the "oppressed" other surf gangs take revenge. There are lot B- and C-Movies of the 80ies which are much better.

The "Surf Nazis" are a gang, except that they rule the waves, not the streets, and they regularly battle with other "surfing gangs". The SN leader, appropriately named Adolf (Barry Brenner), makes his fatal mistake when he guns down a black man named Leroy (Robert Harden). That's because Leroy's tenacious-as-Hell Mama (Gail Neely) vows to avenge his death, and kill as many of the SNs as possible.

There's not much of a story here, but director Peter George handles this cult / exploitation picture with more *restraint* than many viewers will expect - or be able to tolerate. Yes, you do expect that a movie with such a title will be more outrageous. In that sense, it *is* a letdown, but it's not without its pleasures. It does have a sense of humour, and some pretty amusing characters, some of whom are named after notorious real life Nazis. (Michael Sonye plays a creep named Mengele, Dawn Wildsmith a vicious female gang member named Eva, etc.) Joel Hile, looking like a reject from "A Clockwork Orange", plays a one handed guy named Hook who's always searching for the next cool gadget to attach to his arm.

The cast features a number of B movie perennials such as Sonye, Wildsmith, Bobbie Bresee, and Ted Prior. Lead actor Brenner was a real-life doctor whose three other credits are all in William Lustig films. Neely is such a hoot, and it's not hard to root for her during the finale, especially since she makes a funny sight riding a Harley.

Perhaps the coolest element is the atmospheric electronic score composed by Jon McCallum.

To give you an indication that "Surf Nazis Must Die" is intended as tongue in cheek, I'll tell you that one actor is billed as "guy who has surfboard stolen and looks into the camera".

Six out of 10.

I've been a fan of the IMDb for a really long time now. Probably about 6 years. And I've found that its site is loaded with tons of informative, interesting, and credible content. Until I saw the page for Surf Nazis Must Die. Granted, the IMDb itself doesn't do these reviews; the users do. But for this film to be on the IMDb bottom 100 is quite telling. This film is hands down and without any question a masterpiece. Anyone that fails to see that just flat-out does not understand film.

This isn't a "so bad it's good" film. This is straight-up an amazing film, filled with awesome cinematography, great action, and some straight-up weirdness that propels the story along. The story itself is very simple: nazi gang wants to own the beaches, they fight gangs, and a black woman gets her revenge on them. VERY simple. A less talented director would've wrapped up the whole story in 30 minutes or filled it the brim with boring filler. However, what the talented Peter George does is tell the story in a very slow and deliberate fashion. Instead of focusing on intense action sequences for the whole film, the movie slowly builds to them. He usually packs the events up until then with surf nazi propaganda and shots of surfing (surfing from the actual actors; this is not stock footage!). And believe it or not, it's all hugely entertaining. He fills the film with very little dialogue, so what is there leaves a huge impression on the audience.

It's a difficult film to understand completely, especially as I'm not a surfer. Mr. George took a very simple concept and decided to play it up like it's this amazing event: surfers who actually would kill over their beaches. The acting is very underrated, and there actually is very little comedy, deliberate or otherwise, here. The only real comedy is the fat black woman who is the "hero" of the film; she is so ridiculous yet I am guessing this is some kind of social satire (a fat black woman going after "Adolf", leader of the Nazis, who said that skinny blonde-haired blue-eyed men were the "master race"). The film is beautifully-shot with tons of footage of the skies and the beaches, and the pacing is very good. Not too much action, not too much mindless chatter. Another good point is the music. The score really fits the film.

This is a straight-up good film. My girlfriend, who typically dislikes B-Movies, even thought this film was gorgeous and awesome. In a lot of ways, this reminds me of Six String Samurai: a very simple (and kind of ridiculous) story told through the use of overacting, vibrant colors, gorgeous cinematography, amazing editing/directing, and lots of good music. Absolutely an art film and a well-made one at that. Anyone that dislikes this film just flat-out doesn't understand what makes movies great.

If you don't like this film, it is because you don't really understand. Go pay your seven or fifteen bucks and plop down at the local cinemark, because if you don't stuff like this, it just isn't for you.

But if you can take a joke, then the thing is interesting. I haven't seen a bunch of Troma's catalogue, but I think it is one of the more memorable flicks there; it certainly isn't Tromeo and Juliet or Terror Firmer, but I don't understand the claim that it isn't a typical Troma film. At least it wasn't something like "Outlaw Prophet" (which put Troma on a blacklist with my wife). It was a genuine trash film, and taken as such seems as good as any other work of trash.

What makes this movie good is the fact that the kids have all given themselves new names, a fact that comes up when Smeg is talking to his mom (who claims he shouldn't call her mom). That is just choice.

Or the fact that the Nazis are all queens in hiding. I like the not so subtle homo-eroticism.

Of course, not only could both of these elements been mobilized more effectively, but there are other things it could have hit on. The apocalyptic oil pumping could have been used better, along with placing Leroy as part of the energy company pumping the beach dry. I was hoping that the fact that there is a big disjunction between the bourgeoisie expectations of Leroy and the ludicrous turf wars of the surf gangs could have been put to better use.

So to all you people who didn't like this because of the film making-- you are just wrong. This is what good ol' not so Hollywood film looks like. Like all real films, it's flaws are that it doesn't exploit everything that it could.