![]() One thing it retains is the ending but, considering the new circumstances, that retention doesn’t make a lot of sense. In addition to discarding some of the original’s weaknesses, it tosses out the strengths. The remake can best be described as confused. The first Point Break was a flawed but entertaining popcorn thriller - a straightforward motion picture with enough suspense and eye candy to keep the undemanding viewer engaged. ![]() currency on an impoverished village “give back” to nature? That makes less sense than blowing up a gold mine to discourage future pillaging of natural resources. And, if you start dissecting the spiritual underpinning of the group’s actions, it’s nonsensical. ![]() The problem is, Point Break is so infatuated with the beauty of the wild that it loses any sense of excitement. Core, who wears the cinematographer’s hat in addition to the director’s cap, captures some stunning images. Here, however, the star isn’t intended to be the human beings - it’s nature. Ramirez shows more acting chops than Swayze and Bracey successfully captures Reeves’ limited emotional range. The stars aren’t well-known and neither Luke Bracey nor Edgar Ramirez spends an inordinate amount of time shirtless. The sun-and-surf aspect offered viewers plenty of ogling opportunities. At the time, Patrick Swayze was an established star and Keanu Reeves was a hot new commodity. One of the biggest attractions to the first Point Break was the actors. Meanwhile, Utah’s tough-guy FBI handler, Pappas (Ray Winstone), is concerned that the younger man is getting too cozy with the objects of his investigation. Once admitted into Bodhi’s inner circle, Utah finds himself intrigued by the philosophy - or maybe it’s just that he’s attracted to the lone female member, the lusty Samsara (Teresa Palmer). There’s a lot of jumping out of planes, surfing big waves, snowboarding down mountainsides, free climbing deadly peaks, etc. This means acting like Robin Hood - stealing from the rich (the government) and giving to the poor. Along the way, they must “give back” to the environment. Sent undercover to investigate a series of financial crimes, Utah discovers the culprit to be Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez replacing the late Patrick Swayze), whose gang of adrenaline junkies are following a spiritual path that requires them to complete eight extreme tasks. A former extreme sports athlete, Utah is now an FBI agent in-training. The Keanu Reeves character of Johnny Utah is played by Luke Bracey. Analyzed on its own merits or in concert with the earlier film, Point Break doesn’t work. Admittedly, Point Break wasn’t a highlight for either of them (each went onto better solo work and their other collaboration, Strange Days, was far more interesting) but their iteration of the story was more suspenseful and credible than the Core/Wimmer take. Peter Iliff, the final script was doctored by Bigelow and James Cameron. And bank robberies have been replaced by a variety of eco-terrorist actions.Īlthough the 1991 screenplay was credited to W. While surfing remains part of the landscape, it has become one of a catalog of death-defying activities. The core idea has been contorted to a degree that the initial premise is hardly recognizable. In fact, unless you’re a fan of extreme sports photography, the 2015 Point Break lags behind its predecessor in most areas. Unfortunately, different doesn’t equate to better. Director Ericson Core and screenwriter Kurt Wimmer opted to try something different. Bigelow has of course gone on to make critically acclaimed films like The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, and it makes you wonder how she might approach another lightweight action movie these days.Give the makers of Point Break credit - in reworking Kathryn Bigelow’s 1991 thriller, they didn’t go for a point-by-point revision. It's another typically funny collection of appropriate clips and witty putdowns from the Screen Junkies gang, but it also reminds how Point Break was absolutely a film that caught the zeitgeist at the time, and remains popular today because of its offbeat touch of zen philosophy, well orchestrated action, and cool cast. As a final act of defiance, Trailer Guy refuses to acknowledge the existence of the 2015 remake. The constant use of the word " brah" makes for an amusing montage as well. Agent!!"), although the premise is undeniably dumb. The film received negative reviews from critics, and grossed 133 million from a 105 million budget. Nevertheless, the film is rightly given credit for its charismatic cast and the endlessly quotable lines (" I am an F.B.I. The film stars dgar Ramrez, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Delroy Lindo and Ray Winstone, and was released in China on December 4, 2015, by China Film Group and in the United States on December 25, 2015, by Warner Bros. But as usual, Screen Junkies gives praise where it's due and highlights Bigelow's accomplished filming of the heist sequences and action set pieces - although Trailer Guy is incensed at the weird amount of haze that seems to be filling every single indoor scene.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |