Bad Boys movie franchise is one of those things that did everything right, even when it did things wrong. While the latest movie in the franchise, Bad Boys: Ride or Die was anything but bad, I do think they should have made the title Bad Boys 4 Life. Basically, movies three and four should have flipped titles. In my opinion, it’s a missed opportunity.
Now that we got one of biggest errors and grievances from the latest movie out of the way, lets dive into what it did right. Which is pretty much everything else.
The movie starts off with a wedding between Mike (Will Smith) and… Christine (Melanie Liburd). An off-screen romance apparently developed between the two characters after the third movie. Luckly, it gets better after that confusion is over, when Marcus (Martin Lawrence) has a heart attack in middle of the reception. This kicks off a hilarious thread throughout the movie between Mike and Marcus. While the movie pokes fun at the actors real-world problems, it isn’t in your face, and they once again riff off each other. The chemistry between the two actor’s kicks into high gear after the wedding. Bad guys trigger a message to the two main characters, that has Joe Pantoliano reprise his roll as Captain Howard. He tells the two detectives that he was investigating a smuggling ring that has deep roots in the government. Now, I’ve spoke up against tropes before when I reviewed the new Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F , here though, the tropes are well done, and work really well in service of the movie and plot. Mike and Marcus must clear their names, and only Mike’s newly discovered son, Armando (Jacob Scipio), can help.
If you read my Axel Foly review, you’ll know I’m not a fan of estranged kids and their parents. Where Axel forces a lot of dynamics that are unrealistic, here, Armando and Mike actually struggle to find common ground. They do, eventually, but its much better done. In fact, I think, it was done better then Axel F.
Let me explain: Armando did NOT even KNOW Mike existed, so he has NO reason to trust or give Mike the time of day. In the third Bad Boys movie, his eventual turn against his mother, was one of the big “Uhhhh… Why?” moments I had. There was weak motivation for his character to flip. But props to Mike, to try and make amends. Again, Armando didn’t have to accept the peace offering.
In Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Jane, KNEW her father, they at least talked, or COULD HAVE. Yet her hatred for him was excessive and unsupportive motivationally speaking. There was NO reason for the level of spite and contempt she showed Axel in the movie. So when Axel DOES offer peace, he’s rebuked. There was NO reason for that level of spite from Jane.
All that to say, Axel F movie, should have handled the kid/parent dynamic better, and maybe closer to how Mike and Armando was handled.
That’s probably not the last time I’ll bring that up. It really is a pet peeve of mine. But, I digress. Let’s get back to Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Shenanigans occur after Mike, Armando and Marcus go on the run from everyone, Miami PD, FBI, US Marshals, and the cartels. Captain Howard left evidence for Mike and Marcus, but everyone has to re-unite in order for them to use that evidence, but of course, the bad guys get wind of the evidence and start kidnapping, or trying to kidnap, Mike and Marcus’s family. Likely for Marcus, Reggie, yes, Reggie from the very first Bad Boy movie (Played by Dennis Greene). This was probably THE best part of the entire movie. Reggie laid waste to the bad guys trying to kidnap Threasa (Tasha Smith) and the rest of the Burnett family. The movie could of rolled credits and I would of been fine with that. The best redemption arc in a movie, period.
I think that’s where this movie excels, it treats all the previous movies with respect. There are a lot of call backs to the older films, and in my opinion, ends their legacy on a good note. Indiana Jones movies could take notes on how to use older films to pass off baton to a younger generation. IF Bad Boys movie had inserted a partnership as good as Mike and Marcus have, into the franchise, this addition would have been the perfect sendoff for the franchise.
Hands down, this movie is well worth watching. While the Bad Boys movies have issues, no movie is perfect, the entire series does what it promises, and it does it well. It doesn’t change the formula; it sticks to what works (Looking at you Axel F).