jayce2279 Review of SAF3

SAF3 (2013–2014)

Baywatch with firefighters, only really, really bad

[1/10 · 25 September 2013]

I've been a Dolph Lundgren fan ever since I watched him in Masters of the Universe, the Punisher and Red Scorpion as a kid so I really wanted to like this show but other than perhaps the soundtrack I can't for the life of me find one positive thing to say about it. It's set in Malibu but was shot in South Africa, which didn't bode well, but I was willing to let that slide for budget's sake. However, whereas Swede Dolph Lundgren at least sounds American and can get away with playing a US firefighter, the South African actors' accents are so thick it's impossible to believe the events are supposed to take place in California. Lundgren may not be an Alexander Skarsgard but as far as action stars go, he's definitely not the worst actor to ever appear in front of a camera. The supporting cast does such a bad job, however, that I felt embarrassed whenever he appeared in the same shot as them. Thank God he was left out of that ridiculous dancing scene! They may look good parading the beach but if you have to turn to "Ivan Drago" to lead the rest of the "talent" in acting skills that's saying something. Unfortunately, the photography is right on par. The scene where a would-be lifeguard saves a little girl is so amateurish I felt like it was done by a hobbyist using an iPhone. At that point I actually thought I must have been watching a children's show because of all the moralizing that was going on, but there were just too many shots of half-naked firefighters in it for that. Halfway through the first episode there's a scene of the main characters gearing up to the tunes of a rock song which led me to conclude the creators must have been trying to remake their "Baywatch" with firefighters on no budget. I'd recommend this series to die hard Dolph Lundgren fans only, but please remember it's really painful to watch. The Expendables movies have revived him enough for filmmakers to get him out of Bulgaria, though so let's hope SAF3 was just a stumbling block on the road back to Hollywood.