Review of Baywatch (2017) by Zain V — 27 May 2017

Baywatch is a movie telling of the show of the same name years ago, but this time stars The Rock, Zac Efron and more. I originally wasn't going to see this movie, but then I ended up seeing it, so I figured I'd review it. So was it good, bad or just okay? Let's dive into it, shall we?

Alright, I'm say right from the start I thought the film was...ok. It was ok. I mean, there were maybe a few times I chuckled, but I don't ever remember a time I full out laughed at a particular scene or sequence. Also, plot wise, this film is very bare, I mean, extremely bare. It's hard to not compare this to the TV show version of it, but at the same time...you kinda have to. This film was pretty much trying to be the show, hints the name of the film, and have aspects of it, like the super attractive life guards and the slow motion running along with solving crime. That, however, was kinda ruined by modern day writing, and it was obvious.

As I said before, plot wise, it's bare. When I say that, I mean that it was a simple plot, which perhaps you expected, or maybe you didn't. Because the plot was so bare, it was obvious when over the top things were done. Now don't get me wrong, even with it being bare, you could still figure it out. Heck, you could've figured it out in the first ten minutes! Also, because it was so bare, it really felt like it just kinda came and left, leaving me asking, "Um, so is that it?" which is not something I should be asking. So plot wise, the film was rather weak on.

Character wise, oh boy, how do I even discuss this. I'll say this, some of the characters played their parts very well like the guy who played Ronnie. He, I will admit, was probably the only character I actually had some interest in. The Rock did good at being The Rock, or the cool dude who everyone likes and Zac Efron was good at being the cocky guy who eventually turns himself around. But see, I want more than their typical roles! These are actors who have been in some good films in previous years, and in those films, they played deeper characters. Films like this one, just makes me just sit back and say, why? Just, why? The other actresses were alright. I will admit, the actress who played C.J. was probably my favorite actress in the film. The main "villain" of the film, the hotel/resort owner was, I'm sorry but just awful. I don't care how over the top everything else already is, you don't have to top that! She was way too over the top that I cringed whenever she was on screen. I honestly could not take her serious or even in a comedic way. The actor who played the main cop was actually pretty funny, he gave his role some depth compared to the other actors. So acting wise, it's meh.

Visuals wise, oh do I have to talk about this. So there is one sequence, I won't give it away, but The Rock's character has to save two people and his environment isn't exactly calm. So during the rescue, there are moments where I swear I saw awful CGI, that I just thought, "Who let this into the film? Who said this was great CGI?" The fact that it was so painfully obvious that CGI was used, it not a good sign. I know they used green screening, which surprisingly was actually done very well, but how come the quality of that, couldn't match the quality of the sequence I just described? Over than that scene, the movie, "Looks" good, cinematography wise. Nice compositions, nice views, all that jazz. So maybe visually it was, a tad better than the plot or the characters.

So what's my overall thoughts on this film? Honestly, I have the same thoughts I started this review with, it's just ok. I mean the film does bring back Baywatch Alumni, but sadly, that doesn't help the movie that much. The characters, minus maybe three of them, are meh and your standard typical roles from other modern films. The plot is so weak and moves by so fast that you are kinda wishing for more to actually happen. Visually, again, it was better, but that one sequence was not pleasing to the eye or the scenes it was apart of and I really want to know what happened that it turned out that bad of CGI. Here's the final point, if you like to look at attractive men and women in tight clothing and exposing themselves that solve crime, then I guess this is the film for you? I can even tell if it is. But all I'll say is this, if someone were to ask me to watch this with them either in the theater or at home, my answer would be no, because honestly, it's an ok to meh movie, in my opinion. So, if you really want to see it, I'm not stopping you. But if you'd rather see a film that has a better plot and characters that have depth to them, then this is not the film for you.