Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Tonight, I finished watching “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” which came out theatrically back in June but on Netflix last month. How is this new installment in the franchise?

This may be a shocker, but a nearly 30-year-old franchise could have helped this past summer’s box office.

“The Fall Guy” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” didn’t do well in the box office, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” succeeded in delivering the success that hurt the movie studios early in the summer.

Not to say that this fourth movie in the franchise staring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is persuasive, but more of the fact of how entertaining it is.

It is just action, which is meant for audiences to just enjoy for the runtime and forget about everything that is going on.

George M. Thomas said in his review, “It doesn’t hurt that Smith and Lawrence slip into their on-screen personas of Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett as easily as if they were a pair of well-worn Nikes. The chemistry has always been evident between the two as they play off one another with a comfort level not seen with most co-stars. Ultimately, that represents the strongest aspect of the series as a whole, but after so much time it would be easy to assume that chemistry has dissipated.”

What isn’t true is that “Ride or Die” may be the best film in the franchise since the first film back in 1995. Thomas commented, “Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah put their stamp on the franchise with the third film after taking the mantle from Michael Bay (who makes a cameo), but with this one, their comfort level with their subject matter and stars shows in this tight, breezy effort.”

Thomas continued, “With a script from Chris Bremner (“Bad Boys For Life”) and Will Beall (“Aquaman”), the film plays to that chemistry – the word play and the macho-fused affection between the two characters. It does so against the backdrop of jaw-dropping spectacle that explodes off the screen, but wisely acknowledges that these two dudes are now into their 50s and still playing superhero cops.”

That’s not believable, but it’s fun, and this time around, the original crew mostly returns, with a few exceptions.

One is Joe Pantoliano’s Captain Conrad Howard, who was murdered in the last film. He returns through a video to tell that his death wasn’t really what it looked like, revealing that superiors in the Miami Police Department are responsible and trusting Mike and Marcus to uncover it.

That takes them back to their past, including having to get help from Mike’s imprisoned son, reprised by Jacob Scipio, to lead them through something that is not their expertise.

This isn’t going to be easy and there are so many explosive scenarios as they are on their trail. For those wanting to join them, it’s not one to miss.

For Smith, this is a chance to redeem himself after his thrashing of slapping Chris Rock. For Lawrence, who hasn’t been seen much, it makes him one of the people to talk about again.

For the audience, it’s a chance to go into something for a couple of hours for some enjoyment.

If you have been a fan of the other movies in the franchise, this is one not to skip over. The only problem with this film is that you need to have a Netflix plan that doesn’t support ads because of some licensing issues, but this is a film to check out. If you have a Netflix plan that doesn’t include ads, then you should see this film. Otherwise, see if you can find it somewhere else. This is an enjoyable film and definitely not one to miss.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay tuned this Friday for the continuation of “Buddy Cop Month.”