Earlier this week, we shared the news that UFC star Ronda Rousey will deliver the roundhouse kicks in the Road House remake. That was all fine and good for fans of Patrick Swayze’s “pain don’t hurt” philosophy, but what of his Point Break followers who must surely be jonesing for a Zen koan? When could they expect to see someone who’s willing to pay the ultimate price in pursuit of the ultimate?
These questions are rhetorical (as you’ve probably already guessed) because we’ve already reported on the Point Break remake and its Christmas premiere. But the trailer lacked the tubular action of the 1991 original starring Swayze and Keanu Reeves. It replaced the tasty waves with cascades, the surfers with “extreme athletes,” and Gary Busey with Ray Winstone (which is for the best). But Alcon Entertainment’s just released a featurette that proves the surf’s not only still up—it’s even bigger.
Director Ericson Core says his film features big wave surfing, in which a rider seeks waves that are at least 20-feet high. Big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton, who worked on the original, also consulted on the remake. The crests do appear dauntingly high, and we see Luke Bracey’s (the new Johnny Utah) stunt double’s painful wipeout (or “closeout”). The stunts also include tow-in surfing, a “surfing breakthrough” that Hamilton apparently pioneered. Swayze stand-in Édgar Ramírez is seen chasing the ultimate in a tow-in surfing scene that kind of looks like waterskiing. It all appears amply dangerous, but it’s still no 50-year storm.
[h/t: ComingSoon]