Review: Baywatch

Already in the first – of many – videos promoting Baywatch, you could tell that the film based on the famous 90s series, known in Brazil as SOS Malibu, it would be a pretty bad satire. And because of that, you could already tell that it wouldn't be possible to like the film if you took it seriously.

that's exactly what Baywatch delivered, without even taking away, the work is what the trailers showed, a slapstick vision of hot lifeguards who give more value than they should to their work. Full of sexual jokes and references to the old series, the plot focuses on a basic, but coherent crime, which serves as a reason for the team's clumsiness.

Mitch Buchannon (Dwayne Johnson) leads this team, which is in the process of selecting new recruits, among them the already guaranteed Matt Brody (Zac Efron), a famous former athlete with a big ego that Mitch automatically dislikes. This fight opens up space for many jokes at Efron's expense, with rights to references to the actor's former roles.

As an absurd comedy, which is what the film proposes, the script works. Light and funny, it manages to keep the viewer entertained even with some exaggerations. However, it gets lost when it tries to insert a dramatic charge, completely breaking the mood and not being grounded enough to hold the tension.

Dwayne Johnson was a great choice as the protagonist, managing to deliver his role as a “dedicated professional but a little bit of a bitch” very well, usually taking the scenes in which comic relief works in his back. Already Efron, so used to comedies, does not convince in the same way, leaving a little to be desired in his role. The rest of the cast does their job well, not lacking in the necessary chemistry.

Baywatch It's not a brilliant work, but it delivers what it promised. It doesn't quite rescue the essence of the famous series that managed to stay on the air for 11 years - no matter how hard it tries to imitate classic scenes and bring in some members of the cast for cameos -, but it manages to amuse.

View Baywatch's datasheet and full cast