Release and Reception
Surf II was released theatrically in North America in January 1984. While originally marketed with the title Surf II: The End of the Trilogy, later promotions re-titled the film Surf II: The Nerds Strike Back, following the success of Revenge of the Nerds, which was released that summer. The film screened in Europe in the fall of 1984, retitled in Spain as Locura de playa (roughly translated as "Beach Madness").
Initial critical reviews of Surf II were overwhelmingly negative. In his Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin gave the film a 1.5 out of 5 star rating, writing that the "best joke is its title - there never was a Surf I". Kim Newman quipped in the Monthly Film Bulletin, "traditionally, sequels are never up to the standards of the original: Surf II, which is a sequel to nothing in particular, is therefore worse than anyone could possibly have imagined", calling it "incoherent" and "most dreadful". The Chicago Tribune called it "total trash" and the Los Angeles Times simply remarked "there was no Surf I - and with luck, there'll be no Surf III". In a more contemporary professional review, AllMovie, though having rated Surf II one star out of five, noted that the film is "never dull" and "deranged enough to be memorable", giving praise to the performances of the ensemble cast and summarizing, "Surf II's unbalanced mix of amateurishness and gonzo humor will confound most viewers, but fans of B-movie weirdness will find more than enough memorable moments to keep themselves entertained".
In spite of (or perhaps because of) its critical ravaging, Surf II has developed a following among cult film fans. Cult film website McBeardo's Midnight Movies ranked Surf II on its list of "15 Movies That Deserve Massive Cult Followings", calling the film "serious competition" for the position of the "#1 most off-the-wall and ingenious teen sex comedy of the ’80s". The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide, describes the film as " more slapstick and early-80s drive-in mania into one movie than any sane mind could imagine", stating bluntly "missing this movie would be like beating yourself in the face with a brick!" Radioactive Reviews, a website specializing in reviewing "The Movies That DVD Forgot", noted that Surf II "doesn't make much sense and doesn't have much of a story", though the film creates "an amusing, cartoonish world that's fun to watch", and would ultimately be of interest to "lovers of sillier, less-coherent cinematic creations".
On April 17, 2009, the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles presented a 25th anniversary screening of Surf II hosted by the Alamo Drafthouse, with Badat, Braunstein, Deezen and first assistant director D. Scott Easton in attendance. In 2010, Alamo Drafthouse programmers Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly prominently featured Surf II in their book Destroy All Movies!!! The Complete Guide to Punks on Film, including interviews with Badat and Deezen. In an interview promoting the book, editor Connolly described Surf II as "the ultimate '80s party film".
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