The buddy cop duo of Mike and Marcus hold a special place in my action comedy heart. Oozing with chemistry and brilliant comedic timing, some of their earlier pairings have made their way into my weekly, if not daily quotable lines. It’s the power of Smith and Lawrence, who seem to bring out the best in each other when they combine their strengths to bring their “Bad Boys” characters to life. While “Bad Boys 2” has its issues and suffers greatly from the bigger, louder, but not always better sequel pitfalls, it does the one thing the latter entries seem to miss: it lets our heroes rip and riff, constantly prioritizing their combined silliness over trying to add meaning to an otherwise meaningless narrative. The inverse rears its ugly head in “Bad Boys For Life” and now “Bad Boys Ride or Die,” more in line with its predecessor than its origins.
“For Life” and now “Ride or Die” overstuffs every frame with needless character additions and convoluted plots, none of which matter nearly as much as watching our heroes just be Mike and Marcus.
See, for all the shade you can throw at the direct sequel, the one thing that allows it to remain in the cultural zeitgeist is all the side shenanigans Mike and Marcus constantly get into. Their assault on a KKK rally, having their private conversation televised in a department store, hiding out in a morgue with dead bodies, Marcus accidently taking ectasy; the list goes on and on of moments that really do nothing outside of just letting the duo do what the do best together. “Ride or Die” has only glimpses of these moments, with the main focus being on how our bad boys are growing up and turning into men while also choosing to focus on everyone else in the periphery. What transpires is a sometimes funny, sometimes riveting, but largely forgettable entry into a franchise that seems to have lost its way.
I don’t particularly like a lot of his filmography, and I don’t want to discount the creativity and clear eye for action that new directors Adil & Bilal have. They absolutely possess a visual flare that serves up some of the most creative and over the top action sequences that keep the heart of Bay’s blow shit up approach while also trying some new and inventive ideas. For all its faults, this is a statement piece from these two, and is sure to cement them into the new “it” boys for action filmmaking. And ya, the fact that these two made an entire “Batgirl” film that got shelved is even MORE criminal now, seeing what they can do with action and camera work.
All that being said though, “Bad Boys” is better with Michael Bay at the helm. For all his faults as a director – the childish, 12-year-old slamming action figures together to make things go boom approach- works better in this franchise than the high-minded, almost esoteric exploration of the characters in the two latter films. This genuinely may just be preferential, and the “Ride or Die” version of story may sit better with you over Bay’s bordello of ridiculousness and moist actors.
Directed by duo Adil & Bilal (“Bad Boys For Life,” “Rebel“) and written by Will Beall (“Gangster Squad,” “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” which makes a lot of sense as to why most of my issues are with the writing) and Chris Bremner, “Bad Boys Ride or Die” picks up where the following film left off. Mike Lowery (Will Smith) finally settles down and gets married, while Marcus (Martin Lawrence) has doctors orders to eat healthier. After suffering a heart attack at the wedding reception, Marcus has a renewed perspective on life and believes that it is not his time and that he is partly clairvoyant. Mike’s wanton destruction has finally caught up with him, as he begins to suffer panic attacks during moments of violence. Of course, there is a foul plot afoot that frames their late captain as a partner to the cartels, and both boys become fugitives after they get too close to the truth. Forced to pair up with Mike’s son Armando (Jacob Scipio) as well as their former, young tech savoy crew, they must avoid capture while trying to uncover a massive conspiracy against them and clear their names in the process. “Bad Boys Ride or Die” also stars Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig (“Vikings“), Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, and Tiffany Haddish.
Obviously the trajectory of the series was always heading towards shark jumping levels of escalation. Even “Bad Boys 2” starts this trend. But by the time we get to “Ride or Die,” it feels more like a “Fast and Furious” film than a “Bad Boys” one. That’s not all bad either, as this fourth installment is a genuine crowd pleaser. My screening was raucous and loud with laughter and cheers, so I know that “Ride or Die” has something to be enjoyed by general audiences. It’s a solid action film, one that has enough creativity and laughs to be a strong summer blockbuster. It just doesn’t feel like a true “Bad Boys” film. It’s more like a needless franchise entry that doesn’t quite recapture the magic and instead delivers diminishing returns. “Bad Boys” and “Bad Boys 2” are not the same as “Bad Boys For Life” and “Bad Boys Ride or Die.” They may all feature the same characters and all try to further the story – and sure, the all feature “Bad Boys” in the title, but there is just no way they’re in the same universe.
As I was discussing this distance with a colleague, they beautifully encapsulated this point. Michael Maxwell said the best way I can describe it would be like when they tried to convince us that Tim Burton’s “Batman” and Joel Shcumacher’s “Batman” exist in the same Gotham. Sure, they all feature the titular character and the setting and location don’t change, but I mean, c’mon. I don’t care if they’re technically 4 Batman films. They are two and two with very little overlap. “Bad Boys Ride or Die” fits into the latter, with Bay’s “Bad Boys” and Adil & Bilal “Bad Boys” being two different sides of a similar coin but very rarely overlap sans Smith and Lawrence. If you’re ok with this chasm, then you’ll have a great time with “Ride or Die.” It works harder than “For Life” to recapture the magic we love so much, and while it misses more than it hits, it delivers some rousing moments that are sure to satisfy most fans of the franchise.
The legs just aren’t strong enough to carry the franchise across the finish line. “Bad Boys Ride or Die” is good and better than the last one, but it still stifles its stars and takes its focus away too often from the things that make these characters so beloved. It forgets itself sometimes, bloating the narrative and cast and eliminating the simplicities like investigation and cop work to the point where they really aren’t even Miami cops anymore; they’re superheroes, the proverbial “Avengers of Drug Cartels” much like “Fast and Furious” went from street racers to “The Avengers of Muscle Cars.” I can’t say I didn’t have a good time, and it is sure to please movie goers looking for an action packed summer blockbuster. But it just isn’t “Bad Boys” in a lot of the ways it should be, and it may be time to let the boys become men and live their lives in peace. Also, it is absolutely criminal that this film is not called “Bad Boys 4 Life.” Just a major studio title miss that is hard to forgive. Also, where the hell is Theresa Randle? It is jarring to see such a staple of the franchise be suddenly recast this far into story. These are nitpicks of course, but still. It doesn’t sit right and I never got over it.
Oh, and Reggie is the MVP. Easily has one of the best scenes in the entire film. Let that boy cook his chicken! Oh and release “Batgirl” you cowards!!!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
“Bad Boys Ride or Die” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
