Good point/Bad point

Perhaps there’s a viable cause to write a movie critique from two distinct points of view. A movie such as Point Break, the remake of the 1991 adrenalin-fuelled cops-and-robbers flick by Kathryn Bigelow, is the perfect candidate for such an experiment.

In the 2015 version, a fledgling FBI agent (also a former extreme sports enthusiast) finds himself infiltrating an elite gang of extreme-sports-loving, high-stakes crime perpetrators. Think dropping pallets of fresh U.S. currency out of a plane flying over Mexico then skydiving to the escape. Think conducting the greatest illegal raw diamond grab in the middle of a business tower in India then motorcycling out of the windows to flee the law. These guys have no fear of the pain of the world, but rather they seek the thrills as a way of connecting to good old Mother Nature.

For the extremists out there, this film is what all those Warren Miller fans probably wanted when they thought that his totally rad downhill ski flicks could have used a wee bit of a plot to structure things out a bit. In this version, there’s extreme skiing, skydiving, wingsuit flying, surfing, free rock climbing, free diving, and motocross riding, all conducted under the theme of environmentalism and self-actualization. This one has got a framework of eight extreme sports and lots of Birdseye and GoPro-view action to satisfy all. This would be a fine film for you to take your relatives to as a way of helping them to understand who you are at your core. You don’t just want to watch cool stuff on YouTube. You want to be there. You seek presence.

If you’re not one of the initiated, then you’ll probably have a heart attack at the very thought of such life-risking adventure. You’ll have sweaty palms and strange dreams at the least.

If you are more interested in the story and characters, you’re in luck! While Point Break is ostensibly a movie built around a premise of extreme sports prowess, there is a plot containing perhaps a character or two lurking in the wings. These characters have hints of philosophy and even spirituality dancing about them. These hints might not be fully realized, but then again what is in this crazy, mixed-up world?

Johnny (Luke Bracey) is that wannabe agent who just happens on the FBI scene at the right time. A series of high-profile heists and escapes has put the agency on alert and our hero needs to prove himself to progress up the spy ladder.

Naturally, he gets in with the gang and discovers not only their Robin Hood plot akin to ”stealing from the rich and giving to the poor” but also a far more wondrous quest to give back to the planet what they have taken in their search for excitement. For every treacherous stunt, they execute an elaborate and extremely unlikely heist that emancipates vast riches from the world’s one per cent so that the other 99 per cent can make a living. They seek to return the world’s resources back to the planet. It has at its heart a moral of moderation, mediation and making up for industrialized squandering of a planet. Not bad for a way superficial flick, eh?

The problem – for this second group of story lovers – is that there are some gaps, gaps larger even than the chasm of the Grand Canyon or the Cave of Swallows in Mexico. We’re meant to believe that these action lovers care so terribly about the planet that they manage to undertake these astounding feats of brilliant sabotage. Think of the gall and the magic that must be involved in order to hide oneself inside that plane. Think of all of the reasons why the U.S. would fly a plane with such low security over Mexico. Think of how tricky it must be not just to get inside that building with the diamonds but also to get inside while riding motorcycles. Thinking of this is exhausting.

So I suggest you don’t think at all. That’s the only way to watch this movie without suffering an intellectual crisis. Point Break was made by a sports movie director and features a series of super stunts committed by valid extreme athletes who are not actors. The time has now come where YouTube is a source of creative inspiration for feature length films. Sure to follow is Groin Kick, starring the guys from Jackass.