The young Filip Christensen has delivered a successful work this time with "Eyes Wide Open", after he was not so successful last year with "Get Lucky". The riders - again mainly from Scandinavia - show off their skills in some remarkable contributions and even the jump scenes are not boring for the freeriders among us. Innovative jumps and, above all, the massive kickers ensure that you stay entertained. Not to mention the wide-angle heli shots, the incredible cliff drops, the fat powder and the impressive pillow runs (see picture)...
The opening sequence immediately captivates the viewer: the rider approaches one of the oversized jumps, jumps off with an attempt at a rodeo flip and it quickly becomes clear that this jump will end up in his pants or on his neck. Sensationally, you eagerly await the unpleasant impact, but it doesn't come to that...
After the opening credits, the powder freaks immediately get their money's worth. The boys around Eric Hjorleifson cruise through the trees in an impressive setting with plenty of snow. The film's credo is immediately apparent: Eyes Wide Open. The footage comes from the Canadian interior and various ski and snowboard films have already been shot here. The pillow runs are simply impressive! It's worth buying the movie for this sequence alone.
The rest of the movie is still a bit of a ripple. The rail action is supposed to be one of the most innovative of modern times. Not much use if the freerider isn't interested. On the other hand, the massive jumps are always a source of appreciative amazement. At least the variety is there and as the sequences are not too long, the excitement is maintained. Most of the other deep snow scenes are absolutely worth seeing and for us Alpine Europeans there is also a bit of local patriotism in the sequences from Innsbruck and the Montafon...
In addition to the 40 minutes of film, there is also around 130 minutes of extra material (Open Your Eyes) with interesting documentaries, but also with heliskiing advertising trailers. Nevertheless, with almost 3 hours of material, this is a mammoth work that is absolutely worth buying for the price.
Conclusion
Expectations were restrained after last year's work by Filip Christensen; this is certainly beneficial for Eyes Wide Open. It's not a masterpiece, but it's definitely a success and a nice Christmas present for any skiing enthusiast. Because that really comes across: Everyone involved had a blast filming it!
Film length: 40 minutes
Bonus: approx. 130 minutes
Price: 22.90 euros