Sommerleigh Pollonais, Featured Writer
Plot: The world's favourite Bad Boys are back with their iconic mix of edge-of-your seat action and outrageous comedy but this time with a twist: Miami's finest are now on the run.
Review: The Bad Boys movies have a simple but effective formula, namely two charismatic, likeable leads coupled with a straightforward storyline and a ton of action. And it makes for a breezy, easy, fun summer blockbuster. The first two movies directed by Michael Bay are so fast paced you'll barely have time to take in the plot. Then the third came along directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah with a slightly more serious tone but still delivering on the action set pieces and charm the films are known for. I actually really enjoyed Bad Boys for Life (2020), so much so I can say of the four movies it's my second favourite so far.
We're getting too old for this sh--
Now we're up to Bad Boys: Ride or Die which based on its IMDb score looks to be a hit with audiences (it sits at 7 out of 10 so far, the highest score of all four films) which is good sign the franchise isn't going anywhere. But personally, I think this may be the most problematic movie of the bunch.
Let's talk positives first. Marcus (Martin Lawrence) and Mike (Will Smith) are back at it again. This time they're out to prove their dear departed Captain Howard wasn't dirty as newly found evidence claims to show. Now the setup for these two have always had Marcus playing comedic relief to Mike's action hero persona, but due to events here the roles are a bit flipped around and you could tell Martin Lawrence was having a ball with it. He's easily the funniest aspect of the movie while Will plays Mike as the one who is now worried for his friend's safety and sanity. The over-the-top action sequences Bad Boys is known for is also in full effect here with the standout this time coming from the most unexpected of characters. I won't spoil it for anyone other than to say Respect!
Say hello to my little friends!
Now where things go sideways for me is with Mike's entire plot thread, easily the messiest and most contrived nonsense the series has ever come up with. I don't know if the idea behind this was to make Will Smith seem more sympathetic (due to a certain real-life event we're all tired of by this point) but all I know is I couldn't get pass how ridiculous it came across. Mild spoilers ahead: Mike gets married and due to this he starts suffering panic attacks out of his fear of losing someone he loves. First of all, who the hell is this woman and why should we care? If they wanted to go this route, why not pick an established character, someone we know and have grown to care for so when she's in danger or Mike is worried, we can sympathise with him. For crying out loud, you had the perfect choice for said character in the form of Rita (Paola Núñez) from the previous film; I couldn't care less if this new woman lived or died!
The whole thing was so distracting I found myself growing more and more annoyed as the movie went on and it genuinely affected my enjoyment. There was also one particular action sequence, shot in a first-person perspective like a video game, that had me cracking up for how ridiculous it looked. Thankfully, it was the only one like it and the others were all a blast to behold. The nostalgia stuff also came across more pandering than I think they were going for. Nice to see Michael Bay pop up, but to have him do so in the exact same way he did in Bad Boys II got nothing out of me but a severe eye roll, and the same goes for most other scenes here like it.
Tom Cruise: He wishes he could run like me
Maybe that's just me and you couldn't care less about the narrative and found Bad Boys: Ride or Die to be awesome from beginning to end. It's most definitely the sort of popcorn flick people seek out during the summer holidays, and I can see how general audiences will call it a winner. But unlike Bad Boys for Life, for me this one lacked focus. It also messed with who these characters are at their core which, while it paid off for one, made them almost unrecognisable to the point of being distracting. The success of Bad Boys: Ride or Die means we'll be seeing more of Mike and Marcus (for as long as Smith and Lawrence are willing to play them) but one can only hope they don't lose sight of the reason people love seeing these two together and in their search for bigger, louder and crazier, veer too far off the path that makes the Bad Boys movies such fun in the first place.
Sommer's Score: 6 out of 10
Have you seen Bad Boys: Ride or Die? What did you think of it? And you can check out more buddy cop action-comedy content below:
ON THREE! ALL 4 LETHAL WEAPON MOVIES RANKED
CHIPS IS A STALE BUDDY COP COMEDY
COFFEE AND KAREEM QUICK BITE
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I'll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment