‘We Are Storror’ Review: Bay Maximalism Put On Show At SXSW

Master of maximalism, Michael Bay, has entered the documentary scene with We Are Storror, and I absolutely loved it. Bay infuses his signature Bayhem into reality to create something so epic, not in spite of but because of its confinement to the real world. Read our We Are Storror review.

We Are Storror is Bay’s first foray into the documentary medium, and it delves into the lives of parkour group Storror. Storror is comprised of seven childhood friends from the UK: Max and Benji Cave, Callum and Sacha Powell, Drew Taylor, Toby Segar, and Josh Burnett-Blake, and follows them on a globetrotting adventure as they push their limits in 4 extreme runs. Storror previously worked with Michael Bay on 6 Underground, and it’s clear from this film that they have so much mutual respect for each other. No one other than Bay could have made this documentary, and his heart and soul, along with the Storror team’s, are so ingrained into the film.

We Are Storror is just as much an unhinged spectacle as the rest of Bay’s body of work, but it also has the emotion and stakes, and even more so than any other Bay film due to its basis in reality. The emotional core of the film is the unbreakable bond and brotherhood of Storror that will remain. Storror’s parkour escapades have been posted on the internet for all to see for years, so the main draw of the film was what goes on before and after and behind the free-run. It more than succeeds in that aspect. The Bay-esque philosophy of thrill-seeking and exhilaration permeates into We Are Storror in a way that only the film medium could capture as well. It’s like something out of Point Break, Vaya Con Dios, Storror.

This is not to say, however, that I didn’t watch We Are Storror for the parkour as well. Other than Bay’s involvement, the desire to watch cinematic parkour at a festival big screen was what drew me to the film. Bay’s influence is ever-present in the kinetic cinematography, which was done by Storror themselves in fact, as POV Go-Pro shots and drone shots and cinematic camera shots intercut and go hand-in-hand to present this beautifully exhilarating footage of the most insane parkour stunts shot to perfection. Breathtaking and so dynamic, the camerawork was, of course, not all or even most, done by Bay himself, but his direction and style are so clear and discernible. We Are Storror balances the trio of information, spectacle, and emotion so deftly, that I can’t gush enough about how good of a documentary it is.

Expository commentary and talking-head interviews to deliver key information about Storror’s past and background are detailed enough to introduce those unfamiliar with Storror to the group while never encroaching on the narrative of the documentary as it follows them through their globetrotting quest. Both the exposition and emotional moments of the team as a collective and individuals work together to familiarize the audience with Storror and connect us to them. Each member of the team is given their moments, and no one member is more important than another. They are Storror, and We Are Storror presents this fact perfectly. As someone unfamiliar with Storror, I cared so deeply about this group by the end, and seeing them emotional made me emotional.

Auteur-driven documentaries, especially ones of this sort such as sports docs, are becoming exceedingly rare as more and more tend to be corporate projects for streaming services. To get something like We Are Storror is incredible in and of itself, but to have it be directed by a bastion of auteur theory like Michael Bay who is completely new to documentary filmmaking, and it being as good as it is just unreal. It’s a bigger departure for the filmmaker than even his most infamous film, Pearl Harbor. However, I’m delighted to report that it is only a black sheep in how unique it is to Bay’s body of work, and that unlike Pearl Harbor, that descriptor does not extend to quality, as it is absolutely one of his best.

We Are Storror being a documentary will undoubtedly hinder its appeal even if it is Michael Bay’s most accessible work, though I really hope his involvement will give it the push it needs for a wide theatrical release. The film was one of, if not the best theatrical experiences in my life, as I experienced it in a full theater of earnest viewers as we all audibly gasped at death-defying moments that seemed impossible. Being brought to tears by a parkour documentary was not an option I had on my SXSW bingo card. We Are Storror was an unexpected but pleasant surprise from Michael Bay that Baytriots, as well as those with questionable taste, can enjoy.

We Are Storror is directed by Michael Bay and stars the parkour group Storror. It premiered at SXSW 2025.

Thank you for reading this We Are Storror review. For more of our SXSW coverage, stay tuned here at Feature First.