This Remake is Point Break(ing My Heart)

I’m just going to lay this out on the table right away: I strongly dislike remakes. The whole idea of taking a hit film that already is well-loved by its fanbase and remaking it just baffles me, especially when we take beloved classics that can never be replicated or duplicated. “Point Break” is no different. As a huge fan of the original “Point Break,” starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, I was furious when I heard one of my favorite films was being remade. I guess you could say it “Point BROKE” my heart.

The original film is about a group of surfers who rob banks in order to keep the dream alive of the perfect endless summer. However, FBI agent Johnny Utah has to go undercover to get information by joining the group, but at the same time becomes great friends with the band of surfers, especially the charismatic Bohdi. It becomes an internal struggle for him: as he grows closer to the surfers he must choose between his friends or his job and personal morals.

But this isn’t a review on the 1991 classic. How does the remake stand up? Horribly. In fact, this movie was one of the most horrible theater experiences I have witnessed in a long time. I checked my phone every fifteen minutes, silently praying it would end soon. I really can’t say anything positive about this trainwreck of a film. The acting was awful, the script atrocious, and it took everything that I loved about the original film and removed it.

First off, “Point Break” is a surfing movie. About how much surfing is in this movie? Five whole minutes. Off to a good start. Instead we get snowboarding, rock climbing, jumping off cliffs with strange wing suits, fist fighting in a French slum, and blowing up mountains. What? And the worst part is that even with all this action happening, I was mind-numbingly bored.These scenes went on for just too long and were not exciting. It felt like watching those YouTube videos of people who do extreme sports. Cool for about two minutes, but after that it’s just boring. This is about 90 percent of the movie, leaving little to no room for any plot development, character arch, or story.

Second off, the acting was atrocious. Edgar Ramirez, the actor who played Bohdi, could not act to save his life. He was wooden and bland the entire movie, and he didn’t really seem all that invested in his role. I can’t say much about Luke Bracey’s performance of Johnny Utah either. He just didn’t have the confidence and charisma that Keanu Reeves had that made the original absolutely joyful to watch. You could argue too that the 1991 “Point Break” didn’t have great acting either, and I would agree with you. However, it was just a more enjoyable experience, and even with the bad acting in the original, at least you could laugh at the ridiculousness of it. It was actually charming.The acting in the remake was just a bland, painful experience. Also, there was no connection between any of the actors, making the iconic “bromance” of Johnny Utah and Bohdi practically nonexistent, and when characters died I couldn’t care any less. I had no connection to any of them.

The most ironic thing though is that this movie had a much more complicated storyline and ideals that its predecessor, but it is actually a worse film. “Point Break” 2015 proves that sometimes bigger is not always better. The remake is a convoluted story about how Bohdi’s crew is robbing banks and blowing up mountains because this is what Mother Earth wants them to do. They are eco-warriors set to reach Nirvana by completing the Osaki Eight, a series of extreme sports to become one with the Earth. It just doesn’t make much sense to me, and tries to make a darker version of what was originally just a silly surfer movie. What should have been a fun, entertaining popcorn flick turned into the most pretentious, nonsensical film I have ever seen. The original “Point Break” had a simple plot, but it made so much more sense and had a better storyline. You saw the relationship between Bohdi and Utah, and characters grew and developed. This was completely devoid in the remake.

Finally, there is just nothing in this new version that makes me think of “Point Break.” I was hoping maybe there would be a few references to the original film, that would actually make this experience a little more enjoyable. I counted about two references to the original source material, and no memorable quotes. It didn’t feel like the filmmakers even remembered this was a remake of “Point Break.” Honestly, it feels like a totally different movie that they slapped the movie title on it to cash in.

Final thoughts on “Point Break”: save your money and go see something better. Really, it’s just not a good movie. Even putting aside that it is a remake, it’s just not an interesting film. No interesting characters, a nonexistent plot, bad acting, and a horrible script make this one of the worst movies of 2015. In fact, better yet, rent the original “Point Break,” invite some friends over, and enjoy yourself.

In regards to this remake, I give it two enthusiastic thumbs down.