Point Break (2015) - Can't Find Your Breaking Point
The following review of Point Break (2015) contains
spoilers.
Plot and Analysis: When you make a remake of a 1991's
cult classic of the same name, you couldn't fall any lower than this. We have
two actors trying their best to bring out the magic of Keanu Reeves and Patrick
Swayze who starred in the original, but just like the ultimate challenge at the
end of the feature, they both ultimately fail.
Okay, so the start is just like the last two Fast and
Furious franchise movies. We have a dashing blonde hero Johnny Utah (Luke
Bracey) who surprisingly does manage to at least sound like Reeves in the
original venture. After an extreme sports disaster which leads to his close
friend dying, Mr. Utah enlists in the
FBI where he meets the typical boss played to the utmost cynicism by Delroy
Lindo.
And then Utah all of a sudden gets a super boost in his
IQ level by finding out that a series of robin-hood-esque robberies around the
world are being committed by the same group, as if the long line of FBI
personnel in the office he is advising couldn't have guessed this.
We then have Utah going to France to search for this
group, he sees a party happening on a ship in a popular sea and when he also
gets to surf again, he gets hit by a strong wave, and then rescued by, wait for
it, the antagonist of this feature: Bodhi played adequately by Edgar Ramirez. I
would even go as further as saying that his character is the only likeable one
in Point Break.
Thereon, you have the hero falling for the rebellious
Samsara (Teresa Palmer) whose only interesting feature is that her name is
unique but Palmer herself acted like she regretted getting the part. Then you
have so much predictability in the first hour itself that it's extremely
difficult to go through the almost 2-hour length of this lackluster disaster.
The Good: The cinematography and the overall mise-en-scene
were enthralling and breath-taking to look at. Director and cinematographer
Ericson Core was also the DOP for 2001's The Fast and the Furious and he really
pays more homage to that film more than the foremost Point Break. But he also
showcases that he can actually handle a budget of $105 million but Kurt
Wimmer's awful script led to the movie only earning something above $133
million worldwide.
The Bad: The follow-through of the main plot, the acting
(except by Ramirez) and truthfully the budget should've allowed for better
actors. I mean if you're remaking Point Break, you can at least try to find
convincing actors, especially of the rebellious group who managed to bore me so
much, I can't even remember their names in the movie.
With Hollywood increasingly getting more chances at
making high-budget ventures, they should remember that CGI might save a film
from flopping (okay not in this case) but it still renders it a tedious
experience to watch if it's not written well.
The Verdict: Point Break is the epitome that remakes of
cult classics have to be produced rightfully or else the only task they achieve
is the re-watching of the original masterpiece. The only breaking point with
this reboot you'll find is in the ending, because all's well that ends well,
even though this conclusion you'd be dying for after finishing the initial 60
minutes.
Rating: 1 out of 4.
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