Based on the rise-and-fall story of 1970s skateboarding legends from Venice, Calif., Lords of Dogtown contains compelling honesty and rawness. Fans of the 2001 documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys will enjoy director Catherine Hardwicke’s Hollywood version, despite some fictional bends on the narrative.

The film focuses on the beginnings of skateboard superstars Stacy (John Robinson), Tony (Victor Rasuk) and Jay (Emile Hirsch). The cast of relative unknowns tear up the screen with great performances and even greater skating. But the heart and soul of the film, surprisingly, is Heath Ledger. Ledger is almost unrecognizable, so complete is his transformation into Skip, Venice’s “surf ghetto” king.

The unrated, extended version DVD leaves almost nothing to be desired. Deleted scenes, commentaries from the director and cast, a music video and multiple featurettes are just some of the many special features. The deleted scenes are nothing special, but don’t miss the featurettes.

A sure favorite is the “Bails and Spills” featurette, where you can see just how many spectacular falls it takes to be able to do a 360-degree spin on your skateboard. If you loved the documentary, you will also want to turn on the commentary by the original Z-boys, who are wonderfully candid and just downright cool.

– Theresa Bowman