by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. It’s a phrase that came to mind after watching the fourth entry in the Bad Boys franchise, Bad Boys Ride or Die, not to be confused with Bad Boys FOR Life, which really should have been Bad Boys FOUR Life as the title of the fourth entry. But since I am probably the… checks notes on how many people exist… seventh billionth person to make that observation, it’s neither here nor there. As a way to prepare myself for the new installment, I revisited For Life, as I hadn’t seen it since its original 2020 release. For Life is less of a years later rebootquel and more of a straight sequel, and Ride or Die doesn’t use the standard trope of playing heavy into nostalgia for the previous two films as a way of endearing itself to the older generation while simultaneously appealing to a new, younger audience.
Overall, Bad Boys For Life is missing something that the original Bad Boys movies have. The chemistry is a bit off between Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, and the characters feel rusty. The tone is also a bit darker, especially towards the end. The new style and direction is a bit jarring and unpracticed. It’s almost more of a test run than an actual successful addition to the franchise.
Going into Ride or Die, I was taking a lot of that baggage with me. Was the tone of For Life going to carry over? Was the new style and writing going to persist? Was this what “old man” Marcus (Lawrence) and Mike (Smith) were going to be? I won’t lie, my expectations were rather low.
The plot of Ride or Die kicks off when some dirty cops and politicians, working with the drug cartels, decide to posthumously frame Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) for their own criminal activities. This does not sit well with Mike and Marcus, so after receiving a video from Joey Pants saying, “If you’re seeing this, I’m probably dead,” they attempt to use the evidence Howard collected to clear his name. But they won’t be able to do it alone; they recruit the help of Mike’s son, villain of the previous film, Armando (Jacob Scipio), who can ID the real perpetrators. It really comes across as though the previous movie was everyone shaking off the cobwebs and reacclimating to each other and all the new additions. Because everyone in Ride or Die has their best selves on display. Right off the bat, the chemistry between Lawrence and Smith is much more in sync, and they are more of a team. In the previous movie, there is an undertone of anger in Smith’s performance, and it bleeds through to his character to the point where it is uncomfortable. Part of me thought that I was projecting due to the real-world circumstances surrounding Will Smith’s public actions in the last several years. But all of that is just gone in Ride or Die, and I found Smith to be very likable. Not as much as he usually is, but as this character steps into the next stage of his life, so too was Smith. Mike’s relationship with Marcus is more in-step with the original movies, which is an automatic plus for me. As for Lawrence, I love that he gets to be more of the comic relief this time around, as his more serious nature in For Life is a waste of his talents. Both men just feel more comfortable in this entry, and I had more fun as a result.
Part of why I say, “If at first you don’t succeed…” is due in part to the opening of this movie. The first 20 minutes feel like the opening of For Life’s was rewritten, and the circumstances reversed, to not be so dire. It’s a very clever do-over, and it really works. There is a strange supernatural adjacent element that is very outside the box for this type of movie. It strangely works when it is played for laughs, and conversely, it works on a story level when it needs to be serious during a poignant moment in the climax. For all intents and purposes, it should not work, and for some it might not. However, if you go with the flow of the movie and don’t write it off at the start, you may enjoy the ride. And once again, that is because of how well Lawrence and Smith work together throughout. The humor is back as well in a delightful way. I was in a semi-packed house on opening night, and there were a lot of big laughs throughout that had me enjoying the movie more than rolling my eyes. Of course, not everything works, but more often than not, I was laughing big.
The Bad Boys receive help from returning team members Dorn (Alexander Ludwig) and Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens), who are fantastic in their roles as the new kids on the block for the franchise. I really love that of the team from the previous movie, they returned to have a larger role, because their addition adds plenty of humor and tension. Ludwig especially is just the perfect dopey-but-intelligent character who makes every scene really pop. Also returning is Rita (Paola Núñez); however, this time she’s the new captain, so she has to take on the role of the potential villain, because the Bad Boys don’t know who they can trust. She and her new boyfriend, Lockwood (Mr. Fantastic himself, Ioan Gruffudd), take a backseat in this movie in order for the narrative to make the audience second guess who the villain might be. Which is disappointing, because I really enjoyed Núñez in For Life, so I was hoping to see more of her in this one. Rounding out the main supporting cast is Captain Howard’s U.S. Marshall daughter, Judy (Rhea Seehorn), who has a bone to pick with Armando for killing her father in the last movie. Sadly, though, she gets next to no screen time. Seehorn’s portrayal of Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul has made her one of my favorite actresses, so when she was relegated to four scenes that were cookie-cutter and unnecessary, it was disappointing. Granted, when the The Fugitive portion of the movie happens, and she is placed in charge, it is nice to have that added level of tension. Finally, I would be remiss to not mention the MVP of the whole proceedings, which came from the most unlikely of places: Marcus’ son-in-law, Reggie (Denis Mcdonald). His character was dealt a less-than-generous hand due to the previous movies treating him as the butt of multiple jokes, but without giving away any spoilers, he has received vindication!
As much as I enjoyed Ride or Die, there was a need for me to give it a ton of grace. For Life may not play too deeply in the nostalgia pool, but this one certainly does. There are quite a few “point at the screen” moments throughout the film that had me both memba-ing fondly, and some that had me rolling my eyes at the shameful callbacks. It’s also full of plot conveniences, clichéd moments, character turns that are incredibly obvious from the minute we are introduced to them, and a slight case of main-character-is-now-a-superhero-itis. The only difference between this movie and, say, a Fast and Furious movie, is that Bad Boys keeps itself firmly planted in reality (for the most part). Sure, I don’t believe for a second that Martin Lawrence at his current age of 59 could be doing any of the death-defying things that Marcus does. However, he never does anything that a 59-year-old veteran cop wouldn’t do. He gets into gun fights and saves people from being hit by cars, and it is all very harrowing. Save for an incredibly wild and unbelievable feat of strength that takes place on a helicopter, everything he does seems within reason. Likewise, Smith doesn’t over perform in a way that has me saying, “That should have killed him,” multiple times. It’s all very believable — I’m just never concerned that these characters will actually die.
In addition to Lawrence and Smith being on their game, I think so too are the returning directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. These guys have an incredible style that both stands out as unique and meshes with Michael Bay’s style from the ‘90s. And I think the four years between these two entries have given them the experience and confidence needed. Their use of camera angles and tricks to enhance the action are really fun and inventive. If you have a chance, I urge you to check out the behind the scenes footage that has been circulating the internet. They have a fun contraption that flips the camera around from the actor’s POV to the gun’s POV, and there is a crazy fun shot where the camera follows a gun that is thrown. Their use of drones had me thinking of Jake Gyllenhaal’s Ambulance, and the way they edit their shots is very similar to their episodes of Ms. Marvel (my favorites of that series). Seeing them expertly handle this franchise frustrates me to no end that their Batgirl movie will never see the light of day!
I was so incredibly surprised by how much fun I had watching Bad Boys: Ride or Die! It is definitely the big summer blockbuster that we have been waiting for, and I hope it does well. I would be very willing to see more of these movies if this team of creators wants to keep making them. It’s big, cheesy, action-packed, and full of laughs, which is exactly what I am looking for in a movie that harkens back to great ‘90s action. It’s great to see that these movies still work, and that even with the slightly bumpy start that was Bad Boys For Life, they were able to try, try again and deliver an impressive entry in a franchise that I had feared was past its prime.
Rating: Liked It
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is currently playing in theaters
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