By Frenchy Truitt ´17

In short, Baywatch was an utter disappointment. Seth Gordon’s remake of the ’90’s TV series gets into more than just beaches and good-looking bodies. The R rated movie overexerts itself into the realm of murder plots and drug deals, all warped into a real estate scheme to privatize the waterfront -all of which comes back to poorly-cast, villainess Priyanka Chopra who seems uncomfortable and ill fitting in her sinister role.

The film had the opportunity to affectionately spoof a 25 year old show, yet director Seth Gordon made the mistake of taking the film all too seriously. Zac Efron’s character, Brody, nicknamed the “vomit comet” after throwing up mid-swim during an Olympic race, was the highlight of Baywatch’s comedic side. However, the film’s overall overwhelming focus on the drug deals and murder mysteries detracts from its barely existent comedic value.

Really, the film resembled a subpar 21 Jump Street, as the lifeguards rebrand themselves as crime fighters, often causing much damage chasing down the alleged criminals, much to the dismay of the local police.

In reality, Baywatch isn’t much more than a cheesy movie that’s going to be forgotten in three months. The typical ending in which the chubby, funny guy, Ronnie, played by Jon Bass, finally scores the hot girl he’s been eyeing for years, is nothing short of cliche. But in all honestly, that cheesy, cliched, plot is what to be expected of such a movie.

Ultimately, Baywatch takes itself too seriously, which detracts from its real appeal -a shirtless Zac Efron and Dwayne Johnson running in slow motion on the beach.