"Baywatch," the California beach lifeguards saga that became a cultural phenomenon on television 28 years ago, is back on the big screen - and this time the men are jiggling as much as the women.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Zac Efron star in the film, out in U.S. movie theaters on Thursday, which also features Kelly Rohrbach in the role made famous on television by the red-swimsuited Pamela Anderson, who was often filmed running along the beach in slow motion.

"The playing field is definitely leveled in this movie. There's more shirtless men than women, so you got that to look forward to," Rohrbach said.

Anderson also makes a short cameo as herself but much of the focus of the new movie is on Johnson and former "High School Musical" star Efron, who plays a disgraced Olympic swimmer.

Efron said the film is a fun take on the California dream lifestyle and "pokes fun at the stuff that is maybe a little bit out of date."

One element that remains the same is that the entire cast had to don red bathing suits.

Although Johnson spent a good portion of his career as a wrestler wearing Speedos, he admitted that with crowds and paparazzi both watching during the film shoots, he felt self-conscious of his body.

"You're sucking everything in - it's exhausting! - and you're trying to walk cool and everyone is in bathing suits," he said.

"You become self-aware of your walk, when you're on the beach and what you're showing and especially when you're running, what's bouncing, what's jiggling."