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Hollywood has been announcing a plethora of remakes and reboots lately. Everything and anything could be in for a modern day retelling and a lot of people are starting to voice their displeasure in seeing some of their cult favorites getting the remake treatment. 2015's Point Break was one of those films that audiences felt did not need to remade because it was a cult classic from the early 1990's. Those sentiments have lead to widespread hate for the 2015 film and that seems to be a bit harsh especially when it offers some of the best action scenes in years.

Johnny Utah is young and inspired to make a difference by joining the FBI. He is leaving a life of extreme sports behind but is quickly drawn back into that life when a group of extremists are setting a new bar for extreme stunts and extreme robberies.

Right from the beginning we are treated to a film that but it's main focus on extreme action. That is not always a bad thing, case in point the Fast and Furious series. We love big explosive action scenes with minor character development and a plot line that is very thin. Point Break used a plot that explored giving back through spiritualism while trying to forge a new path by completing encasing yourself in the nature that surrounds you. The created a fictional belief system and ran with it which did create a sense of realism amongst the radical stunts being performed during the film.

Luke Bracey was the weakest point of this film. He is a wooden B-list actor at best who only really sold the physical aspects of Johnny Utah. His lines and emotional stares felt hollow and extremely rehearsed and never came off as natural. Edgar Ramirez and Teresa Palmer were much better at creating a sense of mystery and intrigue which allowed their characters to want to achieve what many felt was impossible so it could lead them to liberation and enlightenment.

That being said Point Break is not the film to see if you are looking for a game changer when it comes to teaching you things about finding yourself and leading yourself to righteousness but all the hate towards this film is far from justified and simply comes from the fact it has the name Point Break attached to it. If you take that away and tweak the spiritual themes slightly to add more depth and give the film a new name you would certainly have less people complaining about the film as a whole. Audiences tend to hate seeing cult classics being remade into something new because they usually carry with them a certain nostalgia and they bring back memories of the era in which they are produced. It's hard to sit here and argue that cult classics are not classics for whatever reason butat the same time it's hard not to point out that audiences tend to overlook the flaws of those types of films as well when time has passed and that is not fair when judging a remake. Remaking a film that has a quality story and quality characters is all about trying to allow for the film to make social and political commentary for that generation and not just a single generation. It could argue that the Point Break remake fails to do this but from certain perspectives it seems like people are just calling “boring” “dull” and “unnecessary” because of the name it is trying to carry on.

Imagine this scenario. Just allow your imagination to forget this film is called Point Break. Take away Luke Bracey, add in an actor who looks similar to him but has proven acting chops. Ansel Egort,Charlie Hunnam and Tom Felton all come to mind. Now imagine that film makes a bigger point about needing an adrenaline rush to feel alive and spiritual. There are plenty of places on this planet that could allow for this sense of adventure. Once again forget the name Point Break. Forget the 1991 film starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. That can still be considered one of your favorite films and a cult classic. Keep your eyes closed and imagine all the things I mentioned above with a title like “Peak Performance” or “Thrill Seekers” and 100 per cent tell me that with a more capable actor in the role exploring the same themes this film did that as a collective society there would still be as much hatred towards this film.
I'm not saying I am right or wrong with the fact that without the Point Break title it would be considered a better film but there are people out there that have likened the original Fast and Furious film to Point Break on wheels.

The film is far from perfect and it is far from the best film ever made. It's not a masterpiece and neither was the original but both films offer something incredibly cool and fun. The original was the surfing aspect and this one was the focus on radical sports and extreme stunts. It's not a bad film in any sense and please drop the ideal that is so bad because it is solely called “Point Break” and if you need to imagine it with a different title to like it more please do so, because hating a film simply because it is a remake or it carries a certain name is not a legit criticism nor is it justified.