Movie Title: Baywatch
Writer: Damian Shannon, Mark Swift
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario, Priyanka Chopra, Kelly Rohrbach, Ilfenesh Hadera, Jon Bass, Hannibal Buress, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, David Hasselhoff
Review: When a dangerous crime wave hits the beach, the legendary Mitch Buchannon (Dwayne Johnson) leads his elite squad of lifeguards on a mission to prove that you don't have to wear a badge to save the bay. Joined by a trio of hotshot recruits, including former Olympian Matt Brody (Zac Efron), they ditch the surf and go deep under cover to take down a ruthless businesswoman (Priyanka Chopra) whose devious plans threaten the future of the bay.
Almost 30 years after the premiere of the TV show, the idea that lifeguards can moonlight as detectives is still absurd. That said, Baywatch, as noted by Dwayne Johnson, is not a movie that's made for critics. This movie is flawed and predictable, but that does not mean that it isn't worth watching. This film is actually quite funny and entertaining, and there's some character development as well. The dynamic between Johnson and Zac Efron is amusing as Johnson constantly refers to Efron as names of boy bands. The cast is chock full of ridiculously good-looking humans running through the sand in slow-motion, and there are some goofy cameos from David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson to tie back to the TV series. I liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would. It's definitely a movie to throw on and enjoy without exerting too much brain power. Take a vacation for a couple hours, grab your surfboard, and head out to the bay today!
Fun Fact: One of the photos used during the promo reel of Matt Brody is of real-life Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles when she had a chance to meet Zac Efron on The Today Show.