Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style

Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style was a TV film that was mainly shot due to the show's popularity. Who can blame the writers? I mean you know that all the fans would go crazy over watching this film, we have the whole gang here on the vacation in Hawaii. Now, there are a few things that irritate me quite a bit about this film, Zack once again just falls in love so easily with a girl, so it makes for a lame love story. The acting as usual is pretty bad, the jokes from the series are being over used, and the whole cast just didn't look comfortable together like they did on the show. The story itself is just awkward and too scooby doo.

Zack, Slater, Screech, Kelly, Jesse, and Lisa come to Hawaii for vacation and stay with Kelly's grandfather at his Hawaiian hotel, The Hidaway. But they quickly learn that Mr. Worthington is trying to buy out Kelly's grandfather to expand his hotel chain. It's not too difficult since her grandfather's hotel isn't getting any business. But Mr. Belding is also on vacation, big coincidence, huh? He's in Hawaii with a bunch of principals and brings his guests over to the Hidaway when the gang tricks them into going. In the mean time, Screech is also the God of a tribe who is supposed to save their land, and they just might when the gang finds out some evil secrets about Kelly's grandfather's lawyer.

Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style is a cute film, but it wasn't in any way as good as the series. Like I said, the little stories within the film were just typical and nothing special. The love stories between Zack and Jennifer and Kelly and Brian were just too ridicules and actually made me laugh more than say "aww". For fans of the series, I know they'll wanna check out, please feel free, but I was never a big fan of this film. I just could have survived without another Scooby Doo adventure of the gang, but I guess just a regular normal vacation would've been a boring film.

4/10

(Plot) Kelly's grandpa invites the gang to come stay at his hotel in Hawaii. They have a wild time in store for themselves, without Belding or anything else that resembles school. Unfortunately for them, Mr. Belding happens to be there, and they have to deal with an evil capitalist that wants to take over to build a new apartment complex.

I'm a huge Saved by the Bell fan. I own everything to do with SBTB, except for the "New Class" I even own this one, but I can't lie. This is really awful stuff. My main problem with this one is there is no passion behind it. Saved by The Bell wasn't rocket science, but they were extremely fun, and had good messages behind them. This one tries to go for the heavy message, but it just comes across as very awkward and silly. All the fun is really sapped out of this one. Is it just me? Or does Mark-Paul Gosselaar look suspiciously big here? I'm a big fan of Mark's, but it made me raise my eyebrows a bit. It just feels otiose for the most part, and lacks the entertainment something with SBTB should. The subplot between Zack & Andrea (Rena Sofer) and her kid attempts to be moving, but I garnered zero emotion out of it. Even looking at Tiffani Thiessen in a bikini gets old.

Final Thoughts: Watch it once if you're a die hard SBTB fan like I am, and then forget it even exists!

3.6/10

I'm currently showing my kids Saved by the Bell, and we finally arrived at Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style. One of the most striking differences between this made-for-TV movie and the regular TV series is the lack of studio audience sound effects. The jokes all land a little flatter without the laugh track cushion. Yes, the plot of this movie is ridiculous, but no more so than most of the regular episodes. And the cast seems to be having a good time vacationing in Oahu while doing some occasional filming. Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style is not a great movie, but it's a good enough extended episode.

The gang takes a vacation to Hawaii for some R & R. Meanwhile, the Principals of L.A. are taking a tour of Hawaii and guess who is the tour-leader? Mr. Belding! While in the Hawaii airport, Lisa bets the newly dating Slater and Jessie $50 each that they can't get along without fighting for 2 weeks. Also in the airport, Zack meets a Hawaiian native, Andrea Larson, and he believes it is love at first sight. But her boyfriend, Derek Worthington, picks her up and Zack doesn't think he will see her again. The gang stays at the hotel, "The Hideaway", which Kelly's Granfather, Harry Bannister, owns. The Principals stay at The Royal Pacific.

Harry tells the gang that he is probably going to sell to The Royal Pacific for their expansion because they have all but put him out of business. The gang decides to help him by becoming his volunteer staff. They go to the Royal Pacific and make all the Principals mad by posing as Royal staff and giving terrible service. So Belding decides to move the tour to the Hideaway. While they are at the Royal Pacific, Zack sees Andrea again. She is an Activities Director for the hotel, and her boyfriend, Derek, is the son of the owner, Charles Worthington. Harry's lawyer, Brian Hanson, hits on Kelly and they start to get close. He convinces Kelly that selling the Hideaway is in her grandfather's best interest.

Meanwhile, some members of the Pupuku tribe kidnap Screech and Lisa. When they get to their village, they tell Screech that he is their new Chief. Apparently, Chief Monaleo told these natives that his descendant would save them, and the statue of Chief Monaleo looks like Screech. The tribe is afraid that the hotel is going to steal their land and build on it, but they have no deed to prove they own the land.

Zack and Andrea spend a lot of time together and he is falling for her. She then introduces him to her 6 year old daughter, Jennifer. Zack gets along great with Jennifer and he and Andrea get closer.

Kelly (on Brian's advice) convinces her Grandpa to sell. But then Lisa overhears Brian talking to Charles Worthington about a loan extension. Brian is out to hurt Harry by making him lose everything. The gang comes up with a plan. Belding poses as a professor of Polynesian Culture and Zack makes a fake deed to the land for the Pupukus. Brian takes it to Worthington and he burns it, but not before Screech sets up a hidden video in the office.

Zack shows the tape to Worthington and he backs down from buying the Hideaway land and taking the Pupuku's land. Andrea quits her job after she hears what jerks Derek and his father are. Kelly punches Brian in the face.

It's time for the gang to go. Harry offers Andrea a job as his new manager. The Pupukus become his staff. Zack is heartbroken about leaving Andrea and Jennifer and he tells her he will move to Hawaii. She tells him no, that everything will work out.And of course, Jessie and Slater lost the bet to Lisa and she becomes $100 richer! The gang goes back to California.

Saved By The Bell: Hawaiian Style is a great Saved By The Bell special. Zach, Slater, Screech, Kelly, Jessie and Lisa are obviously all in Hawaii here, up to there usual adventures. The gang are all staying at Kelly's grandpas little hotel for the summer. All they want to do obviously is have fun, but things don't go according to plan, when they realise that Mr. Belding, there high-school principle is there and not only that, but they've decided to help Kelly's grandpa in making his hotel more popular as his rival Mr. Worthington plans to take over the hotel and make it into an apartment complex. It wouldn't be Saved By The Bell, without romances and in Hawaii, Zach meets the love of his life, Andrea who has a daughter and Kelly meets a nice guy, who ends up turning out to be not as nice as she thought he was, as he's helping Mr. Worthington to close down her grandpas hotel. Along with this, Screech gets kidnapped by a Pupuku group, who think Screech is there leader. It's going to be an interesting summer for all of them.

Saved By The Bell: Hawiian Style features the usual cast of, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario López, Dustin Diamond, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, Lark Voorhies and Dennis Haskins. With the addition of the brilliant Rena Sofer here. Everyone here gives great performances.

Saved By The Bell: Hawiian Style is like any of the Saved By The Bell Shows/Special. It's really good and if you're of a fan of Saved By The Bell, then you're bound to enjoy this.