Baywatch

 I'm writing this as I just got back from watching the new Baywatch movie.  It was absolutely ridiculous in all the best ways.  Months ago when I saw that they were going to make it and who the cast would be (Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, etc), I was in.  I knew what I was in for and I didn't care. 


I've not read any other reviews about the movie so I don't know if I'm the only one who enjoyed it or not.  I am certain that there will be plenty of people who hate it.  It's a dumb movie.  The dialogue isn't deep, the action is ludicrous, the plot is completely far-fetched, and it's so meta it could make you groan.  I would argue that this is exactly what makes it an excellent brain candy movie. 


From the opening credits where Johnson is carrying someone out of the water while the title sequence blazes behind him and dolphins dance in the background, to the very end with the gag reel and the conversation with Hasselhoff…everything about this movie matches your expectations and completely holds true to what the original show was for me. 


The plot is simple.  The lifeguards stumble onto a drug smuggling ring and are determined to stop the drugs from reaching the public.  Johnson plays Mitch Buchannan, the veteran lifeguard; while Efron plays the cocky new guy trying to regain control of his life.  There are water rescues, CGI, exploding boats, fireworks, and the requisite slow motion running and walking down the beach.  Added to that are some fairly gratuitous montages of Johnson and Efron competing and showing off their obnoxiously ripped physiques.  For every set of boobs bouncing in slow motion you have a shot of one of the men as well. 


As I mentioned, the dialogue isn't exactly deep and I didn't mind.  You don't go to watch Baywatch to think.  It's a predictable movie with sill quips and ridiculous situations.  Weirdly the movie is a full two hours long and it does feel as though they probably could have trimmed it down a little bit more, but it didn't feel two hours long.  Another star of the movie was the soundtrack.  It was all over the place.  From Lionel Ritchie to the Notorious B.I.G.  It sets the tone of every scene in its own special way.


It was a thoroughly enjoyable movie and I left having forgotten about things for a little while.  That's all you can really ask of a movie isn't it?  To make you forget about life for a short time?

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