Hoping to get the summer season started early is Baywatch, an action comedy based on a television show of the same name. Despite having none other than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the lead with a solid cast on his shoulders, critics have not been very kind. Baywatch currently stands at an 19% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's a bit too early in the holiday weekend to really get into box office scores. It's fair to say, though, the reception hasn't been amazing. Well, at least The Rock doesn't really mind that the critics don't like his latest, as he wrote in a recent post.
Dwayne Johnson has been commenting on Twitter about the critical reception to his latest film, and he makes it quite clear that at the end of the day, all he really cares about is what the fans think. In one particular post, he responded to one fan who wrote that the movie had gone from 13% to 18% on Rotten Tomatoes and that they "were still going to see it!" Johnson celebrated the "positive upticks" before musing on the "glaring disconnect" between critics and fans. "People just want to laugh & have fun," he clarified. Yup, it's another case of fans vs. critics, an argument that grows more and more stale every time it rears its head.
In the case of Baywatch, the film has mostly garnered negative reviews for a few reasons that seem to be shared amongst critics:
A) It wastes an awesome cast.
B) It mistakes saying the F-word and other curses a lot of times as enough of a joke.
C) It's trying too hard to be multiple things/it has no coherent vision.
It also doesn't help that Baywatch is so similar in concept to 21 Jump Street, which basically perfected this kind of humor in one go. Critics and fans are not always in sync, and judging by The Rock's comments, the people who like Baywatch really like it. Which is great! We all don't have to agree on everything and there seems to be a belief on the internet that everyone's opinions must unify for certain movies. If Baywatch was made for a certain group of people to enjoy, then it can consider itself successful. There's supposedly already work being done to plan out a sequel, too, so if it really wanted to, the sequel could address what some didn't like about this first film.
Baywatch follows a group of lifeguards who set out to save their beach when they discover a criminal plot taking place right one their shore. The film is directed by Seth Gordon and stars Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Priyanka Chopra, Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, Jon Bass and Ilfenesh Hadera.
If you'd like to form your own opinion on Baywatch, the film is out in theaters right now.
