The opening scene made me cringe, probably because I don’t like blood and the first thing I saw was a man smacking his head against a rock and blood ooze into the ocean from his wound.
As I continued to watch the movie, I continued to cringe but in a different kind of way.
Directed by Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) Baywatch has finally hit the big screen.
It has taken more than 20 years to adapt the iconic TV show into a movie and the trailer and hype surrounding the release seemed to be promising.
I was expecting genuine fun, a good storyline and witty banter.
Instead, the storyline was dull, the pacing was slow in parts and overall I was left disappointed.
Lifeguard Mitch Buchanan (Dwayne ‘The Rock,’ Johnson) together with his team, work together to uncover a local criminal plot, which threatens the bay.
When they are not running in slow motion, they save lives and are loved by all, except the snarky sergeant (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who tells them they are just lifeguards, not police.
Joining the team is new recruit Matt Brody (Zac Efron) a two time Olympic gold medallist who ruined his career when he vomited during his relay, earning him the nickname ‘Vomit Rocket.’
Although the chemistry between the cast is obvious the movie felt flat.
There were some moments which were funny but they were far and few between but I did enjoy seeing Zac Efron dressed in drag when the team goes undercover.
The best thing about the movie surprised me.
I was glad to find the blossoming romance between Ronnie (Jon Bass), the stereotypical ‘tech guy,’ and CJ (Kelly Rohrbach) a gorgeous leggy blonde wasn’t forced or written into the script for comic effect.
It was sweet and definitely moving in the right direction of breaking down stereotypes and clichés.
Also starring Alexandra Daddario, Ilfenesh Hadera and Priyanka Chopra.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Rated: M
Distributor: Paramount
In cinemas: June 1
