​FILMS

point break
My breaking point was enduring the story, which was just an excuse to fit in as many extreme sports as possible.
2015 review number 187:
Point Break: (Action): 46 out of 100: Do you remember the 1991 original starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze? That was a whole lotta fun with decent action scenes and at least some semblance to a story with the bromance between Swayze's and Reeves' characters ensuring that the audience cared for their fates. This remake has terrific action scenes but not much of a story and you don't really care about any of the characters. It's just an excuse to showcase as many extreme sports as possible.
 
Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey) is in training to become an FBI agent. He notices a team of daredevils acting like Robin Hood figures robbing from the rich to give to the poor and proposes to his team leader, Hall (Delroy Lindo) that he infiltrate the unit. With his background in extreme sports and the criminals' propensity to incorporate these sports in their crimes, he feels that he is the law's best chance to arrest them. Hall sends him to Pappas (Ray Winstone) for further instructions and when he does befriend the gang members, he falls in love with Samsara (Teresa Palmer) and becomes best buddies with Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez).
 
One cannot argue that the film is action-packed although it is noticeable that a few of these scenes employ CGI. The locations are spectacular and enthralling, allowing for the full scope of the extreme sports and making use of the cinema screen. It's a shame that the filmmakers have concentrated so much on these action scenes and forgotten about the story and character development. If it was a documentary about extreme sports, it would have ranked higher than this remake masquerading as a feature-length film.
 
The story is ridiculous and doesn't generate any tension in the script. The beautiful bromance between the main characters in the original is reduced to nothing more than the actors saying their lines and not having the same rapport that Swayze and Reeves had.
 
The music score is generic and the sound effects are deafening, both often drowning out the dialogue. If it wasn't for the superb action scenes which produce some thrills, we wouldn't have much of a movie. On the other hand, if one wanted to experience extreme sports, there would be quite a few documentaries that would probably do the job just as well. You just don't have the benefit of seeing them on the big screen.
 
This is definitely a case of a remake not having to be made in the first place. It's best to stay away from this unless you're an action enthusiast, and revisit the 1991 original. Some cult classics are meant to remain untouched!
 
Starring Luke Bracey, Edgar Ramirez, Teresa Palmer, Ray Winstone and Delroy Lindo
(114 minutes)
Parental advice: Violence, coarse language and adult themes
Additional scene during or after credits: No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYIALBtQJlE (Movie trailer)
 
(Reviewed on Friday 18th December, 2015)
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