I must be out of step but I just thought it was ok. Filming was very uneven, espically the first half. I can't stand emo music so you can guess my opinion of the soundtrack.
In this format it felt a bit cobbled together, also a bit bloated. At times I felt like I was stuck toughing out yet another kid nosesliding a knee high ledge in order to get to the good stuff.
I feel like all Vans full lengths disappoint me a bit though. With the ridiculous amount of talent that team has they oughtta be putting out the best vid of the year every time they do a full length. Hell they oughtta be able to put one out every year too, considering the team.
Interesting analysis. I partially agree, but I don't think it has to be framed as a negative. From my vantage point it appears that Gen Z's consumer preferences are different than previous generations.
These shifting consumer tastes are largely driving this phenomenon of moving away from "skill" and adherence to group norms with a much larger emphasis on friendship, creative expression, and diversity than in the past.
Skateboarding is a really cool blend of art and sport, and that tension of style (how you do things) vs. skill (what you can do) has always existed. Think Hosoi vs. Hawk in the 80s.
The formula is imprecise, but it seems that to succeed in the skate industry brands have to walk that line with who they pick and choose to represent their products and how they market themselves.
Gen Z seems to be the first generation to be true digital natives in the sense that (with the exception of the oldest of their cohort) they cannot remember a time in which social media didn't exist. They tend to be a lot more accepting of people's differences, which I think can be attributed to growing up in hyper-fractured online spaces with hundreds, if not thousands, of cultural niches to mix and match at will.
Millennials accelerated this phenomenon, but the world was still physical enough that a more standard set of tastes and values emerged.
The defining feature of Gen Z seems to be embracing "corny" stuff like Y2K fashion, emo and post-grunge music, and looking at skateboarding as a way to express themselves and meet people. Not taking it as seriously. Having fun with it and caring a lot less about what is "cool." Being anti-cool is cool now or something haha.
I think these changes can lead to a lot of positives! I came up on the tail end of a much harsher, judgmental, white-and-male-dominated subculture. A lot of the hand-wringing I see from older skaters I think is fundamentally rooted in existential anxiety as they are slowly being pushed aside for a new paradigm.
The kids at skateparks nowadays seem a lot nicer, friendlier, and hyped on most things as opposed to when I was their age. They are the most diverse generation in US history, and are more aware of social issues and current events than their predecessors.
I'm sure the bean counters at VF Corp ran the numbers and realized that in addition to being a "good look," moving away from the industry formula of taking skinny, primarily caucasian skaters and convincing them the only way to succeed in skateboarding was to move to California and jump down as many stairs/grind the biggest rails possible doesn't translate to dollars as much as it used to.
The teens and twenty-somethings of today are more diverse, and they want to see themselves represented in their subcultures. While reactionaries in the community rant and rave about the latest shoe company ad featuring a woman doing a "sub-par" trick, tens of thousands of girls see that ad on Instagram and get inspired to go out and push their own boundaries.
This only gets more women and girls in skateboarding and elevates the talent pool as a whole. It's crazy to see footage from women's contests even a decade ago vs. now. The skill differential is insane, and women are only continuing to get better and catch up to their male counterparts. This is a HUGE positive.
Let's see the bigger picture here. It's a balance, and there will always be a welcome spot in skateboarding for people who rip and push the discipline to new heights.
I'm very stoked overall on the new, more inclusive and welcoming direction skateboarding has been going for some time now. Sorry for the rant lol.