(2.5 / 5)
The trailer’s better.
As with any remake, we must ask the question, “Why?”. If the original was good, what’s the point? A friend of mine even boycotted this reboot out of principle, Facebook page and all. Well, it’s not really all that bad. But I must agree it is pretty pointless, and as with most remakes it’s not as good as the original. If you really thought making the original into an action-packed version where the perpetrators were more hippie than surfy, sure…
Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey) is an ex motocross star who has recently joined the FBI. A hunch on solving a series of robberies leads him to cross paths with Bodhi (Édgar Ramírez) and his crew of extreme-sport loving comrades. Johnny must decide where his true loyalties lie.
The acting in this isn’t half bad. Kudos to the film makers for not going for big names here, it wasn’t at all necessary. You could say that Luke Bracey is actually a better actor than Keanu Reeves in this role, although Keanu’s more wooden acting does give his character a certain extra sense of vulnerability.
It’s obvious that the film has been brought roaring into 2015, with Bodhi and gang having corporate sponsorship, everything’s a bit more James Bond with dramatic stunts over a backdrop of amazing scenery. It’s worth mentioning that the plot and characters are not identical to the original either. Similar in many ways, but not exactly the same. I think if they departed from the original story even more they could have pushed it in an even more exciting direction and it could have been something special. However it feels a bit restrained and underwhelming all told.
Don’t discount this completely, but don’t expect much.
Point Break premieres in Sweden on February 5, 2016.