Confession time: I've never seen Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 film,
Point Break, that starred Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze in what are now considered classic roles. Even if you've never heard it before, Reeves character name, Johnny Utah, sounds like something from classic pulp lore. Naturally, as it's been nearly twenty-five years since the original Hollywood decided it was time for a remake and so we now have the first trailer for director Ericson Core’s (
Invincible) reimagining of the material that stars Lukle Bracey in the role of Utah and Edgar Ramirez taking over for Swayze as Bodhi. Having not seen the original it is difficult to make any comparison on how this seems to measure up, but taking the new
Point Break on nothing but its own terms it looks to be a visually stimulating action ride at the very least. Sure, there are a few moments here where I was laughing at something wholly unintentional of being comedic, but that is largely relegated to the stilted and clichéd dialogue whereas the action sequences are captured with a verocity and tone that feels incredibly attractive and practical. Honestly, the whole premise seems a little silly and little more than an excuse to show off some insane stunts, but then again, this may have worked for the original as people seem to love it and again, I'm not sure how much of the story has been modernized for today's audiences. That said, I'll definitely be checking out the original before wandering into theaters to see the remake this holiday season.
Point Break also stars Ray Winstone, Teresa Palmer Delroy Lindo and opens on Christmas Day.
