With interviews, a whole lot of original footage, a pounding rock score and photos Dogtown and Z-boys, directed and compiled by Stacy Peralta, is a short history about a fledgling group of South Santa Monica kids in the 1970's who – through the sheer love of the sport of skateboarding – took it to places it had never been and helped promote and lift it beyond a mere hobby to the phenomenon it enjoys today.

Each of the kids started as hardcore surfers who extended the surfing aesthetic of the low pivotal style into skateboarding. Using techniques developed by such famous surfers as Larry Bertleman they began to make waves (as it were) among the locals. Soon they were part of a surf/skate club called Zephyr and could be found at every paved courtyard, schoolyard, back alley or hill they could find.

The documentary is very good at showing us the natural evolution of the sport. And it manages to pinpoint when and where the zeitgeist changed. It happened in the mid 1970's when a major drought hit Southern California and forced many people to empty their swimming pools. From there kids started riding boards in pools and took it to the next level.

The concept of the film in many ways is due to the exuberant nature of writer Greg Stecyk who in the 1970's got wind of these kids and started a series of articles in Skateboard Magazine titled 'The Dogtown Articles.'. Stecyk, who is credited as co-writer, also shot a lot of the original footage used throughout the documentary. Stecyk can be credited with much of the success the kids attained since they weren't necessarily seeking the accolades they received after he promoted them.

The last half of the documentary concentrates on three of the best skaters to come out of the Dogtown Zephyr group and in so doing taps the source of a natural narrative. The three fall into rather straightforward categories. There's the smart entrepreneurial one (Stacy Perlalta) who goes on to reap the rewards of his skills, the innocent kid with natural talent (Jay Adams) who never realizes his potential and the radical, competitive one (Tony Alva) who becomes a legend.

There are only two primary criticisms with the documentary. One is that it deifies the kids and mythologizes their accomplishments a little much. And the other is that it tends to get a bit repetetive on the historical points. Still, director Peralta and editor Paul Crowder do a fabulous job with all the footage making a involving, heart pounding chronicle of a time and a place that a lot of people remember but few acknowledge was significant to the sport of skateboarding.

Audio
The audio is presented in is in Dolby Digital 5.0 and sounds great. The film is primarily a well-crafted barrage of sound and image. More importantly the film is layered with the best compilation of 70's rock music you're ever likely to hear in a documentary and is best enjoyed with a full speaker system. The Dolby Digital sound only helps enhance the experience.

Video
The documentary was shot in video but it uses a lot of primary footage from the 70's. Most of old stuff was shot in 8mm and 16mm and it has a very grainy look, which lends a good amount of gritty authenticity to the whole history.

Extras
There is a very good audio commentary with Steve Peralta and editor Paul Crowder. Peralta is enthusiastic throughout, gives a few anecdotes and is rather self deprecating. In fact, a lot of time during the commentary track they compliment each other but nonetheless it is a good extra. You can also choose to activate a On-The-Fly Icon, which gives the viewer the option of seeing more skateboarding footage while they are watching the documentary. Included too are a few Deleted Scenes and The Original Ending, which is footage of Tony Alva shot a couple of years ago skating in an empty pool with a bunch of friends.

Overall
Dogtown and Z-Boys is a well-crafted, enjoyable, fast paced documentary on the relatively unknown history of modern skateboarding. If there are any skateboarding fans who have yet to see this film then now is the chance to not only see it but own it. More importantly this documentary can be enjoyed by everybody including people who otherwise would never give a second thought about the sport.