Despite its surreal portrayal of the outdoors, one cannot help but notice that the 2015 remake of Point Break was in a way a good showcase of leaders in the field. I say this because majority of the activities that were shown in the film to be portrayed by Luke Bracey and Edgar Ramirez were in fact executed by popular figures such as Chris Sharma, Laird Hamilton, Xavier de la Rue and many more of the world’s best rock climbers, motocross riders, wing suit pilots, snowboarders and big wave surfers. The rate at which Core employed legends on the field shows the film’s dedication towards accuracy.
The film doesn’t have much going to it storywise – the plot is a bit predictable and Edgar Ramirez’s appearance screams “bad guy” from a thousand miles away. But don’t get me wrong, the film is still a joy to watch and in order to fully enjoy it, one must first disregard the entire plot of cops and robbers and instead focus on the sceneries that Ericson and his crew has masterfully shown. From the waves of Tahiti’s Teahupo’o to Angel Falls in Venezuela, the team did their homework when they did their research on the most extreme outdoor locations on the planet. This visual glamour takes so much prominence that resonating with co-producer Andrew Kosove’s statement that the movie “was more of an expedition rather than a production” has so much truth in it.
Having discussed the casting, cinematography and the writing, what Point Break lacks in story it makes up for in visual flair. Some may say that the film could just be a pretty face but in fact, the visuals tell a story of how it feels to experience these marvellous locations. The film certainly appears to be more of a travel brochure with adrenaline added in – which is of course what the nature of the outdoors is – to induce adrenaline. This rush is then delivered to the audience which results in a different way of telling the story.
At the end of it all, Point Break is still an enjoyable film. Yes, the plot is very predictable but that only serves to the film’s benefit. Because as what was mentioned earlier, the film draws power from its visual presentation of unique outdoor locations and the people doing them. It could have been a different film altogether if they just used the outdoorsmen rather than the celebrities, but that is something that is a bit of a throwaway. But they still do most of the activities in the film and I think that’s closer to what we want so our recommendation? Watch it and be wowed.
Director: Ericson Core
Starring: Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey and Teresa Palmer
Words By: Keith Perena
Photos Supplied By: Warner Bros. Pictures
