I’m perhaps in the minority here, but I’ve not yet seen the original Point Break.
I don’t really know why, as the Kathryn Bigelow-directed 1991 offering starring Keanu Reeves and the late Patrick Swayze looks right up my street.
Strangley, that probably put me in the best position to pass judgement on Ericson Core’s remake. Although I’m aware the original focuses on surfing and bank jobs, my lack of loyalty to a very popular film allowed me to watch the class of 2016 without bias or prejudice.
For those of you in the other boat, I can tell you that (after a bit of research)the new Point Break uses the same characters and the same core storyline as it’s revered original, but ups the ante with a plot loaded with extreme sports and death-defying stunts.
Here, Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey – The November Man) is a former YouTube motocross sensation turned wannabe FBI agent.
His boss Instructor Hall (Delroy Lindo – Gone In 60 Seconds) isn’t overly convinced that he’s committed to his new life – so when a series of high-risk crimes committed by eco-terrorists becomes big news, Utah connects the dots and jumps at the chance to re-enter his old world, albeit on the other side of the looking glass.
Utah figures out that the eco-terrorists are committing their crimes alongside an attempt at the seemingly impossible Ozaki 8 challenge – eight death-defying trials that allow the participants to achieve nirvana. Yes, it’s very far-fetched stuff – but these eight challenges do serve as the best parts of the film.
And it’s through one of them (the one that involves surfing, of course) that Utah comes across Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez –Joy) and his gang.
Tasked with finding evidence on the crimes by his handler Pappas (Ray Winstone – The Departed), Utah ends up going under cover as the lure of the Ozaki 8 – and the beautiful Samsara (Teresa Palmer – Warm Bodies) looms large.
That places Utah in a tough spot, especially when he discovers what Bodhi and his crew are truly capable of away from the extreme scene.
Naturally, he has to choose between bringing them down… or becoming one of them.
As a newbie, it all felt a bit like the plot to The Fast and The Furious. That’s pretty ironic really, considering it’s widely accepted that the original Fast movie essentially ripped off Point Break.
It’s a vicious circle – and that’s the main problem with this remake; it brings nothing new to the table story-wise.
That’s a shame, as the stunts in Point Break are genuinely awesome.
Be it skydiving, free-falling, snow-boarding, surfing or climbing a huge landmark, the Ozaki 8 elements of Point Break are breathtaking, especially in 3D.
With Bodhi re-booted as a criminal mastermind with unlimited funds and a lust for extreme sports, the story takes us on a world tour – and I loved that part of the film.
That does take away some of the empathy you would otherwise feel for Bodhi and his crew, though, as they do come across more as crazy criminals than the planet-saving wannabes they pitch themselves as.
Sadly, I didn’t really buy into the bond between them and Utah, either. Their friendship (and indeed the romantic side-plot) kind of come out of nowhere.
That’s not to say that Ramirez and Bracey do a bad job, it’s just that the plot feels rushed and makes their friendship seem a little plastic.
Elsewhere, Lindo and Winstone both play clichéd characters they could pull off in their sleep, but do at least add a little gravitas to the otherwise low-key cast.
Palmer’s Samsara is massively under-utilised too, making a few of the bigger moments fall a lot flatter than they should have done.
Overall, Point Break is good fun and worth a watch if you want to leave your brain at the door.
It makes a concerted effort to nod to the original, but I doubt it will get anywhere close to achieving the cult status afforded to its big brother.
With that in mind, it’s likely to disappoint returning Point Break fans and slightly underwhelm first time viewers, those stunts aside.
Voice Verdict: 6.5/10 (reviewed at Boston’s West End Cinema)
+ Ozaki 8 stunts are amazing
+ Great locations
– Cliched story
– Utah/Bodhi have weak chemistry
SHOWTIMES
Boston’s West End Cinema (Fri, Feb 12 to Thurs, Feb 18)
**ROOM (15)
8.40pm (Mon)
**HOW TO BE SINGLE (15)
8.30pm (Sun)
**DEADPOOL (15)
1pm (daily), 3.30pm (daily), 6.10pm (daily), 8.45pm (daily)
POINT BREAK 2D (12A)
10.30am (Mon/Tues/Thurs), 8.10pm (Fri/Sat/Sun/Wed)
DAD’S ARMY (PG)
1.15pm (daily), 3.40pm (daily), 6pm (daily), 8.20pm (not Sun/Mon)
**ZOOLANDER 2 (12A)
12.45pm (not Wed), 3.10pm (daily), 5.45pm (daily), 8.15pm (daily)
**ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS: ROADCHIP (U)
10am (not Sat), noon (not Fri), 2.10pm (not Fri), 4.25pm (daily), 6.35pm (daily)
DIRTY GRANDPA (15)
8.45pm (daily)
GOOSEBUMPS (PG)
12.20pm 2D (not Sat/Sun), 2.45pm 3D (daily), 5.45pm 2D (not Mon/Tues), 5.45pm – SUBTITLED 2D (Mon)
THE REVENANT (15)
8.10pm (Mon/Tues/Thurs)
DADDY’S HOME (12A)
10.30am (Sat/Sun)
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS 2D (12A)
10.10am (not Fri)
CAPTURE THE FLAG (PG)
10.10am (not Fri)
KIDS’ CLUB
10.15am (not Fri) – The Good Dinosaur 2D (U)
SILVER SCREEN
Wed 11.30am – Room (15)
** FREE LIST SUSPENDED
