BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE
Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jacob Scipio, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nuñez, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Joe Pantoliano, and Rhea Seehorn
Directors: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
AMARÚ
Bad Boys: Ride or Die really should’ve been called Bad Boys 4 Life because it’s everything I feared the previous entry was going to be. Whereas directors Adil & Bilall previously balanced Michael Bay’s grandeur with well-shot stunt choreography, surprising character development, and in-depth storytelling, Ride or Die is paper-thin predictable with chopped-to-hell, over-stylized action set pieces. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are still a dynamic pair, so there’s fun to be had, especially one scene that will go down as a franchise best. Unfortunately, this entry executes that patented entertainment at twice the speed with half the payoff; that, sadly, doesn’t compare.
QUENTIN
Bad Boys: Ride or Die isn’t awful, but it’s like someone ran a Bad Boys script through a Mission: Impossible and Fast & Furious script polisher, then filmed it with overly stylized but oddly lifeless direction through half of a John Wick Instagram filter. It even out-Bays notoriously bombastic (and franchise-starting) director Michael Bay at parts. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence still have nice chemistry, and there are a few nostalgic callbacks, from cameos to certain camera angles, but….ehhh. Amusing, but never funny; actiony, but never exciting - this is about what I expected of the last one, so I was just one movie too early.
