Released: December 2015
Director: Ericson Core
Rated PG-13
Run Time: 114 Minutes
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Genre: Action/Crime/Sport
Cast:
Edgar Ramirez: Bodhi
Luke Bracey: Utah
Ray Winstone: Pappas
Delroy Lindo: Instructor Hall
Teresa Palmer: Samsara
I’ve said this time and time again: I have no problems with remakes that try and add something new to the mix. Movies like John Carpenter’s The Thing, The Blob, Casino Royale, and Jet Li’s Fist of Legend are all examples of how to do a good remake. That being said, Hollywood is generally afraid of doing something original, because they might not make money on the venture. I understand, it’s a business, but risks are part of it. Sadly, though, the ratio of good movies versus bad remakes tends to lean more towards the bad ones. Movies like Ben-Hur, Brick Mansions, Clash of the Titans, Ghostbusters, and Psycho are perfect examples of what you DON’T do with a remake. It’s even more frustrating when they remake a movie that really didn’t need it in the first place. So, imagine my surprise when a remake to Kathryn Bigelow’s original Point Break was being made. So, this review is about the new Point Break.
The new Point Break follows FBI newcomer, Johnny Utah, as he’s assigned to solve robberies that involve a group of people who are doing extreme sports during their robberies without rhyme or reason. Tasked with infiltrating this group, Johnny befriends a man named Bodhi, who is apparently on some kind of spiritual quest. I have to admit, I haven’t seen a remake in years that was THIS shallow in terms of narrative. If you’ve seen the original film, you know how this ends up, so I won’t go into the story any further. The original film was no masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but at least it was fun and there was some moments of genuine tension. See, in the original film, the character of Johnny Utah was not an expert extreme sports enthusiast as he is in this movie. No, he had to learn to surf, and do all these things. Because of that, Johnny felt like he could actually die if he made a mistake. Here, Johnny is already an expert and isn’t afraid of anything. That saps ALL the tension out of the movie. You can’t really relate to a character if you don’t believe that he/she is in any danger.
The characters and the way they are written are the core of what’s wrong with this movie. As I was saying, if you don’t believe a character is in danger, you’re not going to feel anything for them. But it also helps if the characters have chemistry with each other, and there is no chemistry whatsoever between Johnny, Bodhi or even Hall, Delroy Lindo’s character. You have some pretty good actors here: Delroy Lindo, Edgar Ramirez and Ray Winstone. These guys are good. The problem is, is that these characters are poorly written. We’ve got some good actors, but the material isn’t anywhere up to their level. Johnny and Bodhi are extremely wooden and the girl is just in there to pretty everything up.
What this movie does have going for it are the action sequences. These stunt sequences are absolutely breathtaking. The visuals and the backdrops for these stunts are mindblowingly awesome. The whole bird-man sequence is jaw-dropping, because they did that for real. There’s also another sequence where the bad guys create a landslide to bury some trucks. Visually impressive and pretty exciting, if I do say so myself. Here’s the thing though, you can find most of those sequences done better on YouTube. It makes absolutely no sense to go out and spend your hard-earned cash on a movie that is essentially nothing but extreme sports stunts. It isn’t even the first movie to do that. xXx did the whole extreme sports super agent thing first and did it better. The other action sequences in this film are like Luke Bracey’s character and have no personality.
Honestly, if you have to pick between this movie and the original Point Break with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, go for that one instead. It’s just better all around. The remake of Point Break is a vapid, hollow affair that runs for far too long and has nothing to offer between the giant stunt sequences. Spend your money elsewhere.
Final Score: 4/10