The Race to Alaska (2020) User Reviews

So much more than a documentary about boats

[Scoter15 · 10/10 · 3 December 2022]

This is a story about people, hundreds of participants over a five year period, from acclaimed National Geographic Adventurers to everyday people with little boating experience. People discovering grit and perseverance far beyond anything they had anticipated or experienced. Terrabytes of footage from Go-pro's, cell phones and professional gear was collected from widely scattered boats with little or no cell service and collated daily during he race. This was skillfully edited and combined with a minimal amount of "talking heads" to create an exciting, funny and awesomely beautiful story of journeys through some of the most remote territory on earth.

Terrific, inspiring, funny documentary!

[Salsa_gimble · 10/10 · 3 December 2022]

The RACE TO ALASKA is a fun, funny, exhilarating film featuring everyday heroes who race 750 miles to Alaska in various boats without a motor or support. You will be inspired by their perseverance and endurance as they deal with the challenges presented to them; currents, weather, tide changes, boats breaking, etc. It's uplifting, with breathtaking scenery of the Inside Passage and great music. The film is not your typical dull documentary, and not just for boaters. The film may or may not inspire you to enter the race, but It may inspire you to take on a major challenge in your own life!

The RACE TO ALASKA has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes!

Pretty Dull Fare

[labcbaker · 6/10 · 3 February 2024]

I am surprised that the ratings for this are so high. It is a film composed largely of talking heads and the on-board camera video of some of the participants. I love the concept of the non-motor race and certainly accepted that just finishing constituted victory. But I did not really find myself engaged with the participants. What were they sacrificing to participate? Did they train? Did they quit their jobs to take on this personal challenge? I appreciated the danger of the attempt but none of this was really depicted. We mostly followed those who completed the trek, but I was more interested in those who failed, like the guy who simply got to scared to continue and demanded to be let off the craft.