‘The Surfer’ Might Just Be Nicolas Cage’s Best Movie of 2025

Courtesy of Lionsgate

Yes, I know. We’re not even halfway done with the year.

But, hear me out for a minute (this is one hell of a way to start off a review). The Surfer is NOT the movie I was expecting Nicolas Cage to shine in. Yes, he’s the main lead - so that’s always a plus no matter what - but a psychological thriller set at such an inconspicuous place like a beach (and the coinciding parking lot)? All Cage’s character wants to do is take his son surfing. Is that such a horrible thing to ask for? Usually, no. But in the case of director Lorcan Finnegan’s fourth film - this otherwise insignificant request is quickly turned into an intimate and psychologically debilitating story which comes to show just how close human beings are to becoming nothing but lawless fiends.

Plainly put, Nicolas Cage plays the title character, The Surfer - an aging man who is trying to put the pieces of his life back together. He plans to do so by buying his childhood home back. Specifically speaking, a big beautiful house overlooking Luna Bay. You can hear the sincerity in his voice when he talks to his son about surfing the waves right below or through his undying motivation to his realtor regarding the asking price. Cage has always been a master at character work and his ongoing "Cage-aissance" has proved that. Straight from the start, you believe in the dreams and aspirations of the character. But something strange starts to peek its head in - and right into his fantasy.

Besides his son (played by Fin Little) not at all sharing in the excitement and his ex-wife announcing that she is pregnant with another man’s baby, the landscape of Luna Bay itself has also changed. It’s been taken over and repurposed. The innocence and nostalgia of the place has been ripped to shreds by a group of rowdy, young jocks who are headed by Julian McMahon’s Scully. While his juvenile minions are loud, obnoxious and sometimes downright violent (to any outside visitors), McMahon plays a perfect leader of the pack, unfettered by The Surfer’s diligence towards trying to get on the beach. Along with Scully and his feral crew made up of drug and drink, the hazy summer heat always makes its way into the shot, covering everything in an orange glaze.

Even with numerous adversaries against him, the surfer becomes obsessed with becoming one with the waves once more. It’s eerie to see how his own desire transforms into a weakness in such a short amount of time. Scully’s antagonistic locals combined with a selective in-your-face cinematography style really showcases the tribal force that Cage’s character is up against. When they scream and yell at him like animals, the camera zooms into these specific shots just like a documentary on The Animal Channel would. The Surfer (the movie, that is) then becomes even more deranged when our main character comes to lose all his physical belongings either through trades, threats or plain ol’ thievery. Cage’s depiction of the deconstruction of his character is fantastic.

There are multiple times when the character is about to break down (the audience will believe that this is the case) but Cage - being the master at transitions - commands the scene and masterly resets the tone to that of resolve every single time. These desperate moments can turn into some real twisted scenarios - Writer Thomas Martin is not afraid to go there. From biting into a mouse that was just alive two seconds ago to drinking brown pothole water, you can add disgusting to the adjectives describing this movie.

While the hallucinatory sequence admittedly could have been dialed down just a bit, this one hundred and three minute thriller comes out to stand out on its own. It pulls the skeletal foundation out of those 50s beach party movies and then shoves all those same bones into a haunting, animalistic narrative. As a result, The Surfer is a contorted film you won’t forget anytime soon.

I will give The Surfer a 4.5 out of 5.

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions will release The Surfer in theaters nationwide on May 2, 2025.