Film Review: Baywatch

Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama

Cert: 15 cert

Director: Seth Gordon

Screenwriter: (based on the series "Baywatch" created by) Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, Gregory J. Bonann, (story by) Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant (screenplay) Damian Shannon, Mark Swift (Rigging artist: Hydraulx) Dulce Velazquez


Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Priyanka Chopra, Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, Ilfenesh Hadera, Jon Bass, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Hannibal Buress, Rob Huebel, Amin Joseph, Jack Kesy, Oscar Nuñez, David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson

Running time: 1h 56min

Parents advised reading before viewing a film as some scene may contain scenes unsuitable for younger viewers.

Sex & Nudity: Full frontal male genital nudity: - "The scene shows Mitch playing a terrible prank on poor Matt when he tells him to check a dead man's naked body for evidence of a crime. The running joke has Efron handling the corpse's penis and scrotum and even lifting the organs up and out of the way so he can examine the skin area underneath"

Male rear buttock nudity on several occasions.

There are also many male characters topless nipples exposed in swim shorts showing developed upper torsos with rippling muscles.

Although all of the nudity is male and while there is no female nudity of any kind, many female characters are in bikinis. There are a few instances where covered female breasts are shown bouncing. Cleavage is also present throughout

Violence & Gore: Dead bodies and a scene with a body part

Profanity:  A lot of sexual dialogue

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Alcohol is being drunk by main characters

Frightening/Intense Scenes:  Dwayne Johnson has openly stated the film will be a raunchy action-packed R-rated film. MPAA Rating: R for crude sexual content, language throughout and graphic male nudity

Story: Based on the popular TV series from the 90's Baywatch, Devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchanan (Dwayne Johnson) butts heads with a brash new recruit brody (Zac Efron). Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay.

Likes: Seriously, the reviews are ridiculously negative from almost everyone, which begs the question: What the hell were you lot expecting"? Come on- we all knew from the trailers what this film was going to be like. I seriously can't believe anyone would expect this film to be perfect; to be honest, this film is very aware that it doesn't take itself seriously. That is what makes this film funny.

Yeah, some jokes kind of missed the mark, but I'll be honest- this film is pretty funny. Even the audience in the cinema was laughing at some antics, especially at the beginning with Jon Bass playing Ronnie Greenbaum. Even though it was a little over the top, it was genuinely funny because of how unexpected it was.

The film as a whole felt well balanced- from the action to the comedy- while respecting the source material from the 90's TV series “Baywatch” with a clear message that lifeguards are more than just being a star; it takes a lot of being a beach lifeguard, especially because the sea can kill you in so many ways.

Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron were brilliant in showing the macho banter. Dwayne playing a Marine Veteran Lieutenant Mitch Buchanan, a hardass lifeguard that respects his job. While training new recruits, he comes across cocky-ass gold medalist Matt Brody, played by Zac Efron.

The acting between these two is great, especially the typical Dwayne banter- it adds to their on-screen chemistry with testosterone. Let’s be honest- it adds eye candy for the ladies if you know what I mean. Lads, you are not left out because the film has beautiful women as well, such as Alexandra Daddario who spends most of the film acting like she’s shocked- or playing a bimbo.

I’ve got to hand it to Kelly Rohrbach; as a full-time model, she did pretty well on-screen with her character, so kudos to her. Priyanka Chopra played the beautiful antagonist of the film with a serious role and an equally ruthless demeanour.

The film, as a whole, is pretty much what you would see in the “Baywatch” series, mixed with some good comedy, action, and eye candy for both women and men. It’s not a film to take seriously and it knows it. Going into this film, you should know from the title screen what you're getting yourself into.

It's fun, guilty pleasure film that is actually funny in places and worth checking out.

 

Dislikes: As much as this is a guilty pleasure for me, I did notice that this might not be everyone's cup of tea. Maybe this film would've been better as a series on TV, more like a reboot starring “The Rock” and the supporting cast.

I think the racist jokes were a little too much in areas.  

Overall: Self-aware film which makes it funny, great guilty pleasure film, great acting

Rating: 5 out of 5 for Entertainment / 7.4 out of 10 for Baywatch concept