Bad Boys: Ride or Die

The fourth time didn't work so well. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are still an excellent duo, and they are opposed by a pretty decent villain, but what good is that when the plot revolves as much if not more around them as it does around completely uninteresting (old) new characters who don't have much to say. The film was worth seeing in the cinema mainly for the frantic action, which can probably turn into quite a mess at home on TV. (08/10/2024)

Bad Boys for Life was surprising with its fresh screenplay, which put new wind in the franchise’s sails. But without input from Joe Carnahan, the screenplay for Ride or Die gets sloppy. Forced jokes and a moderately interesting plot, routine action without a single memorable scene. The overwrought scene with a helicopter seems to have been flown in from the Fast & Furious franchise.  The fierceness and polish of Bay’s action style is history. However, Bay appears in one shot, DJ Khaled in a whole scene, and the central duo are still cool even without good jokes. The nostalgia, bolstered by Mark Mancina’s musical motif and the setting of Miami skyscrapers with Caribbean beaches and palm trees, simply works. And young Reggie rulez! (06/24/2024)

If you like this series, if you liked the third part, you should be satisfied here too. It's not a significant shift in quality, it's just a standard solid action comedy, where the mutual banter between Martin Lawrence and Will Smith works, but above all it's pulled by well-done action, which at times takes your breath away. Adil el Arbi and Bilall Fallah know their job. There are nice Miami visuals, a decent bad guy played by Eric Dane (Euphoria), decently brutal R-rated action with engaging camera forays, top visuals, some twist and turns and working one-liners. The whole film paces well with no deaf spots and it's exactly the right action entertainment that's missing in cinemas and you can take anyone to see it. If you expect a film with a well thought out plot, you won't be satisfied here, but if you know what to expect from a film, you can't be disappointed. 8/10. (06/06/2024)

It probably wasn't entirely convenient to go to see Bad Boys: Ride or Die when I hadn't seen the previous film, which is referenced quite a bit, but it happened. Despite my initial disorientation with the characters and the relationships between them, I did enjoy the film in the cinema. Compared to the first and second parts, the characters of Mike and Marcus definitely struck me as more likeable, and their age-related vulnerability had a lot to do with that. I also enjoyed the action sequences, which often alternated shots of action with character perspectives, making it feel like a PC game at times, but in a good way. While I didn't outright roll around laughing, I did chuckle more than once, so the comedy level was also functional. Now all that's left to do is watch the third one! (06/24/2024)

A repeated joke is no longer funny, and that applies to the Bad Boys franchise, too. The third one was an interesting refresh after all those years, it had sleek slick visuals, cool Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in their 50s, and surprisingly solid action. The fourth one, however, already looks like a fluffy TV movie, recycling or even ripping off moments from previous episodes. Remember the bayou scene from the visually nasty second one, where the camera pans back and forth across the room during the shootout ? Almost a carbon copy of a scene in the fourth one, and there's more. The best moments are saved by minor and not very important characters, like the young marine or Captain Joe Pantoliano. The third film made sense, the fourth is completely unnecessary. I hope this franchise finally retires. (07/29/2024)