Malibu Rescue: The Next Wave

It’s summer again, and everyone’s favorite Junior Rescuers, The Flounders, are back at Tower 2. With the International Junior Rescue Championships headed to Southern California, the eyes of the entire planet are on Malibu Beach. But when Team USA falls victim to a bout of food poisoning, it’s up to Tyler, Dylan, Eric, Lizzie and Gina to represent their country in the world's most extreme lifeguard challenge!

Really good watch, probably won't watch again, but can recommend if you've seen the first one. I'll start by saying this sequel is just as good as the first, it's like a natural extension, but I can't imagine anyone who hasn't seen the first one is going to enjoy this half as much as people who have. It's the same great cast enjoying their characters along with the audience, with a new event and lots of new characters to keep everything fresh. I like the approach they took, but it's so ridiculously monumental that I can't imagine anything they could do to follow it up. It is literally like, "Well, we're not getting another one, let's get crazy!". There isn't a lot to complain about, but there just is a ceiling on how good this can be for me, and likely most adults. Generally recommended for younger audiences.

An improvement on the original, which is unexpected. I noted in my review of 2019's 'Malibu Rescue' that I probably wouldn't bother watching the television series in between - I actually did. It's still not good, but that too bettered the first film. I'd say 'Malibu Rescue: The Next Wave' is superior to both, so the series as a whole is on an - admittedly slow - upward trajectory. Listen, it still isn't something I enjoyed. It has undeniable issues, but I honestly don't dislike it either. The cast are pleasant, if not necessarily good. They work well together. Alkoya Brunson is the standout, but they all bounce off each other in truth. I approve of them bringing that Jeffy (Michael Mourra) kid back, they create fairly funny gags with him in the films - could possibly do with him in the show? It's made for a specific demographic and, I guess, works in that respect. They could definitely do better though, to make it a fun film to watch for more viewers. Intrigued to see if this gets renewed further, I assume it will.