A Pointless Remake Of A Keanu Reeves Classic Is Climbing The Streaming Charts
The 2015 remake of Point Break is in the top ten most-watched movies on HBO Max.
Fans may recall the classic 1991 Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze crime thriller Point Break for its incredible high-paced action and chaotic plot regarding a gang of surfer dudes who moonlight as a syndicate of bank robbers. What many people may forget is that the film received a 2015 remake, also called Point Break, which is currently climbing the streaming charts, entering the top ten on HBO Max this week, according to FlixPatrol. The remake sports an unfortunate 11 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, leaving many audiences to opt for the Keanu Reeves original.
The original film stars Keanu Reeves as Johnny Utah, an FBI agent forced to go undercover to infiltrate a gang of mysterious bank robbers known as the Ex Presidents, due to their use of former United States heads of state masks in their robberies such as Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. In order to fully ingratiate himself with the criminal crew, Utah must become a master of high-octane water sports, causing him to become increasingly drawn to the surfer’s high-adrenaline lifestyle.
After a series of events lead to the agent becoming emotionally attached to the crew’s leader, Patrick Swayze’s Bodhi, the lines between the law and the friendships become blurred, eventually leading to a complicated end where Bodhi and Utah find themselves mired by mutual respect despite their obligations against one another.
Point Break boasts an all-star cast including Gary Busey, Lori Petty, and Scrubs‘ John C. McGinley alongside Swayze and Keanu Reeves, as well as a perfectly stacked soundtrack for the film’s score. The film grossed an estimated $83 million on a budget of only $24 million, with mixed reviews from critics but a glowing response from fans all over the world. Compared to the largely negative reception of the 2015 remake, this paints an interesting picture for the franchise, begging the question of why the 2015 film couldn’t replicate the success of the original.
In the remake of Point Break, Luke Bracey stands in for Keanu Reeve’s Johnny Utah, with some slightly updated changes to the film’s plot, replacing surfing alone with a series of extreme sports including free solo rock climbing and wing-suit surfing. The film has the same general skeletal structure, but fails to capture any of the magic of the original. With hindsight, it now seems clear that the film would have benefited if it were shot as a legacy sequel to the 1991 original rather than a reboot, as displayed by the overwhelming success of films such as Top Gun: Maverick.
Given the fan frenzy displayed for Keanu Reeves in the modern era, it seems clear that even the slightest involvement of the John Wick star would have greatly benefitted the 2015 Point Break remake. Reeves has garnered a great deal of attention in recent years due to his humble outlook and down-to-earth personality, as well as his series of exciting and accessible performances in films such as Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Matrix Resurrections, and the video game Cyberpunk 2077. With five upcoming films in various stages of active production according to IMDb, fans continue to find Reeves very much in demand, making his absence from 2015’s Point Break palpable.
While the 2015 film still managed to make money, with a box office turnout of $133 million against a budget of $105 million, the film was rapidly forgotten and relegated to the dustbin of history. That is, of course, until recently, when the film entered the streaming charts during its run on HBO Max. Perhaps even without Keanu Reeves, hindsight can allow us to watch the film with a fresh perspective and find something to appreciate in it.
After all, the stunt work and scenery in 2015’s Point Break are highly impressive, even if the performances lack the dramatic depth or camp to bring audiences a great deal of joy. As Keanu Reeves has taught us through his John Wick series, which highlights stunt work throughout all four of the films, stunt choreographers are highly under-appreciated throughout Hollywood, making 2015’s Point Break all the more impressive for opting to increase the scope of extreme sports presented in the film. If you’re interested in seeing for yourself, the film is available to stream on HBO Max now.
