Historically, the only sports I've been interested in are ones that can be played while simultaneously working my way through a pint – darts, snooker, a particularly unco-ordinated round of table tennis etc. A couple of years ago though, I became entranced by the coverage of the Winter Olympics. I have no doubt that if I strapped myself to a snowboard, it wouldn't be long before I was in traction but watching the half pipes and ski jumps from the warmth of my own home was jolly good fun. Watching the newly revamped Point Break is similarly entertaining but perhaps not in the way intended by the cast and crew.
While the stuntwork and locations are pretty spectacular, you'd be hard pushed to describe Point Break as a narrative film. The story is threadbare at best, with stunt sequences strung loosely together with some cheesy bromance and police procedural scenes that makes the FBI look as hapless as the Keystone Cops. Luke Bracey (puppyish, looks good in a wet suit) takes on the role of Johnny Utah, the undercover cop investigating a group of criminals led by Edgar Ramirez (brooding, also looks good in a wet suit), as spiritual gang leader Bodhi. When the pair aren't hurtling down a mountain or scrambling up a cliff face, they're moodily gazing into each other's eyes, while Ray Winstone grumbles in an indeterminate accent.
Fans of Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 film will quickly notice that although the two films may share a name, they are worlds apart. Under her expert guidance, Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze stayed just on the right side of ludicrous; a feat that new director Ericson Core doesn't quite manage. So, it's all terribly silly but so long as your expectations are set low enough, it's an inoffensive watch with some cool stunt sequences and multiple moments of unintentional comedy.