Although lacking the scale of your typical blockbuster, The Surfer is the latest indie gem from Nicolas Cage. By now, it’s no secret that Cage is a Hollywood star whose work has been a melange with critics. Simply put; sometimes they love him, sometimes they hate him.
After starring in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent in 2022, the Oscar-winning actor has been on a pretty hefty comeback trail. However, he still dabbles in indie cinema, and these often lower budget movies frequently land big with critics. The Surfer is the latest example of this. So, let’s dive into the movie and its reception so far.
What Is the Plot of The Surfer?
From Irish filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan, The Surfer is a psychological thriller that tells the story of a man known only as “The Surfer” (played by Cage), who returns to Australia to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. However, upon arriving, he is confronted by a gang of angry locals who have a strict rule of “locals only” on their beach. After being humiliated by the group, the down-trodden father is sucked into a bizarre conflict that keeps escalating and pushes him to his absolute breaking point. While marked out as a psychological thriller on the surface, Finnegan’s movie is much more of a deep character study and an intricate look at toxic masculinity, ego, and the stubbornness that comes with it.
The movie’s subverting themes have led many to class it as satire. With a fever dream glow lingering throughout, Finnegan has successfully made a film that feels disorientating as well as exciting, making it hard to full-on pinpoint what it’s trying to be. As “The Surfer”, Nicolas Cage embodies the emotionally repressed businessman with careful nuance, leading to a plethora of positive accolades. But what about the movie itself? What’s the overall critical consensus?
Breaking Down Its Critical Reception
As mentioned, Nicolas Cage is a somewhat perplexing figure when it comes to critical approval. Early in his career, he wowed critics with movies like Raising Arizona, Wild at Heart, Face/Off, and Leaving Las Vegas, the latter of which earned him a Best Actor Oscar. After struggling with money issues, owing the US Internal Revenue Service a whopping $14 million in back taxes, he began to take on roles in B-movies and straight-to-DVD action flicks. This led to him receiving 8 Razzie Awards nominations, 5 of which for worst actor. However, in 2022, he won the Redeemer Award for his highly-praised rendition in Pig. Since then, most critics seem to be championing his work, and The Surfer is a prime example of this. His performance has been hailed as “elevating”, “anxiety-inducing”, and “brilliantly calibrated”. It has also been called “crazed” and “eccentric”, two nuances that have led to harsh feedback for Cage in the past. But this time, most people seem to be digging it.
Shortly after it hit movie theaters, The Surfer became “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 86% score. As of writing, this score still stands based on 132 critical ratings. Top reviewers have commended the film for its originality, suspense, and well-layered narrative, with many referring to it as a “fever dream”. So, it’s clear that Lorcan Finnegan and writer Thomas Martin (Ripper Street) have crafted something truly unique here. However, when it comes to audiences, there’s a pretty significant divide. Currently, The Surfer has a Popcornmeter (user ratings) of 46%, based off over 250 reviews. The common consensus is that perhaps the film is too wacky and disorientating for those that went in expecting a straight-up thriller. Many also found it confusing. However, overall, Cage’s performance was still largely lauded.
Is The Surfer a Box Office Success?
The Surfer was theatrically released in the United States on May 2, 2025, before releasing in Ireland and the United Kingdom on May 9. Initially, the film world premiered in the Midnight Screenings section at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, which is where it landed a lot of its early glowing reviews. However, this word of mouth doesn’t seemed to have prevailed just yet. In its opening weekend, The Surfer only drew in $698,114 across the United States and Canada. In the UK, it is only being screened in selected cinemas. As of writing, the film has grossed $1.174 million. Yet, there may still be a chance for ticket sales to pick up as it heads to Australian cinemas on May 15, 2025. Given that this is where the movie was filmed, there could be a level of hype brewing in the country.
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