3. Anthony Kiedas is not in this movie.
It’s hard to imagine a time when the Red Hot Chili Peppers weren’t a household name. That being said, RHCP were already celebrities in 1991 when the original Point Break debuted. Riding the wave of their smash album, Mother’s Milk (1990), RHCP was due to arrive. Following up Mother’s Milk with Blood Sugar Sex Magic in 1991, the classic album firmly established RHCP as one of the greatest rock bands of the late 20th and early 21st century. It’s not that hard to see why Anthony Kiedas and his muscle beach west coast attitude was a natural selection to be in Bodhi’s gang. He fit in so perfect, and soon everyone would recognize him as that ‘guy from that band’. Maybe he will make a guest appearance in the remake of Point Break. It almost feels predictable at this point. If nothing else, there will be a RHCP song on the soundtrack.
4. The emphasis is all on the stunts in the movie and the not the story between Bodhi and Johnny Utah.
Ahh, the 90’s. At time when hair metal was dying a much needed death and everyone was looking to Seattle for new inspiration along came Point Break. In a pre-Fight Club time, Point Break took a stance against commercialism and the ‘taste death, live life’ attitude of the Ex-Presidents chimed in with the rebellion going on. Consumers were tired of the same old corporate shit being force fed to the masses. Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) stood for all that was true and noble in the world, and let’s be honest… It was pretty damn sexy too.
Yet, there is always another angle, and in came Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves). Where do one person’s rights start and another’s begin? Utah, anything but a creature of the establishment, was a perfect choice to go undercover for the FBI and bust the surfing criminals. While he almost got in too deep, he always had a moral compass and was the perfect protagonist to Bodhi. Ying to yang. It was a great match up and you weren’t always quite sure who you wanted to root for. Yes, Bodhi was a criminal but secretly a lot people wish they could have been in that surf gang too.
It will be very difficult to recreate this type of story line if all the movie amounts to is a series of well planned out stunts. How can someone feel invested in either outcome, good or evil, if all you see is motocross races and sky diving?
5. The connection to the ocean is broken.
The very name ‘Point Break’ is about surfing. Yes, there was skydiving and footraces in the original, but it was all about surfing. Remember the ‘sex wax’ scene with Gary Busey? There is something special and infinite about the ocean. The culture that surrounds it and brings it to life. While there is a similar culture around extreme sports, it’s not the same. There is only one ‘ocean’. (Yes we know there are more than one, duh.) If you have a movie that doesn’t make that bond there is something lost from it. Even the final climatic scene (*Actually Cannon Beach in Oregon) from the original…. wait, not gonna spoil it. Go watch the movie.
Do you agree with our list? Did we list five reasons why the Point Break remake will suck, or are we totally off base? Leave a comment below and tell us you think it will suck or be the best movie ever.