Initially rivals, Mitch Buchannon (Dwayne Johnson) and Matt Brody (Zac Efron) must team up in wake of a criminal conspiracy that threatens the future of the bay.

Directed by Seth Gordon, Baywatch stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, but are these Hollywood stars capable of successfully paying homage to the much beloved 80's TV Show?

Praises

• The first two acts of Baywatch were great. The writers of this script were obviously self aware of the ridiculousness that came with the legendary TV show. The "self aware" mentality of this film saved it from being a complete disaster. The amount of cheesy one-liners and cheap CGI proved a positive for Baywatch because they pay homage to the cheesy and not-so technologically advanced 80's.
• The comedy, although often a case of hit or miss, was good enough to keep me interested. It was really dumb comedy that won't connect with everyone, but I have a really dumb sense of humor, so I was very satisfied.
• The chemistry between The Rock and Zac Efron was off the charts amazing and helped this movie soar. In fact, the chemistry was apparent between all of the major characters in this film. It was evident how much fun the team was having together on and off screen. There were far too many jokes that, without the undeniable chemistry, would have flopped.

• The Rock, like every other movie he's in, stole the show. That guy is seriously so awesome. He knows how to deliver even the weirdest of lines! I can't imagine another person in his role as he truly dominates attention whenever on screen (sorry, Dave).
• Zac Efron was another standout in this star-studded cast. Efron is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. He's good in literally everything he's in and he will steal the steal the show as DC's Nightwing (PLEASE GEOFF JOHNS). Anyways, Efron's comedic range is insurmountable. His character is unbelievably stupid and says some pretty weird shit, but Efron does incredibly well to charm the audience and provide many laughs.
• Jon Bass is an actor I've never heard of or even seen on screen, but he is Baywatch's dark horse. He was hilarious in delivering the material he was presented with.

Polishes

• The final act of Baywatch switches up on the first two acts. It tones down on the comedy and relies more on action sequences. It started off as a stupid and light-hearted remake but transitioned into a James Bond action movie, which hurt it significantly. There was a long stint in the third act where colorful explosions replaced the ever so brilliant banter. For some parts, the action was solid, but for a dumb comedic movie, taking yourself seriously is not the move. If the movie stayed consistent to what it truly was for the majority of the run time (2 hr) , it would have been perceived much better by its critics (currently at 19% on Rotten Tomatoes).

Final Thoughts

I went into Baywatch, after reading many critical reviews, with the lowest expectations ever. I expected the worst movie of 2017 with a bunch of sexy women. Nope; Baywatch surprised the shit out of me. It's easily one of my favorite comedies. Being self aware of what you truly are does wonders, because the dumb and cheesy comedy really worked for this movie. I am currently, impatiently, waiting for a sequel announcement (make it happen, Rock).

Dumb, but super fun - 77%