A SPOILER-FREE MOVIE REVIEW

“Bad boys, bad boys, what you gonna do? What you gonna do when they come for you?”

Admit it, you sang along and felt good doing it, didn’t you? Well, you’ll be doing a lot more of that after you watch the long-awaited and worth-the-wait fourth installment of the hit blockbuster action saga, Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Bennet, ready to kick ass and barely take names.

Now, there is a lot I have to say about this movie, but seeing as this is a SPOILER-FREE review, I will have to bite my tongue and give you my general feelings and thoughts about it.

First and foremost, as a standalone movie, the scriptwriters and actors did a good job of allowing even first-timers to enjoy the franchise; to watch the movie and enjoy the story without too much confusion. You get a basic background of the characters, and the plot doesn’t rely too much on the previous movies.  With that being said, it doesn’t leave out the dedicated fans; with some callbacks to iconic moments of past movies and some cameos to bring back memories. I mean, it has been 4 years since the last one.

In simple terms, this movie could be described as “Loud Fun”. Suppose you’re looking for an emotional think piece about the perils of seeking justice in modern society, or the duality of mankind. In that case, you’re probably not going to find anything worth your while in this R-rated, Action/Comedy, “buddy cop” movie. There is, however, an almost spiritual vibe to it that I found unique, but also a little confusing.

At some point, early on, I started asking myself if they were about to introduce superpowers into the Bad Boys Universe. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the fight choreography and overall cinematic experience provided by the movie. At one point; we get to see a gunfight from Mike Lowrey’s Gun’s Point of View. (This is not a spoiler) And, of course, we have the mandatory car chase and subsequent explosions that you have come to expect from these movies.

Another thing I loved about the movie was the plethora of cameos and stars they decided to feature; even if most of them were understandably very brief appearances. It was like you get one very cool cameo and you’re like “I want another one”. And you do in fact, get it again and it’s still not enough. You’re stuck saying “I need more of those, more, more, more, more.”

I liked how the movie dealt with the concept of family. It shows, how important Mike and Marcus’ families are to them, and why they should never be messed with, especially when Dennis McDonald’s character, Reggie, is in the picture. It even brought back a former character from the last movie to drive this point home, and the plot of the movie forward.

Now, I know that this is in part a comedy movie, but I will be honest, some of the jokes felt forced. Martin Lawrence is a funny man, and his track record shows it, but in this particular movie, I’m not sure he provided his best moments on the big screen. Part of the movie’s storyline involves Mike and Marcus dealing with the effects of getting older in a world of violence and crime-fighting, which Marcus (Martin), really leans into.

Speaking of the storyline, I felt it could have used a little bit more originality. There are obvious nuanced details that separate it from other similarly styled movies, but at the heart of it, the plot is generic and uninspiring. The main villain of the movie is not memorable in any way. His motivations are boring, his plans are not well thought out. Despite the writers trying to pass him off as this intelligent, scorned villain with friends in high places and the connections necessary to achieve his goals, there’s nothing special about him and his companions.

There are also a few tropes that you would expect with this type of movie. Like the ‘hero turned fugitive’ trope and the corny, over-used ‘save the damsel in distress’ angle. The progression of the plot was generally well-paced, but I feel a few changes could have been made to the story to give a bit more life and realism. Overall, while being fun to watch it lacks the originality needed to make it a top-tier movie.

Another negative, in my opinion, is that Bad Boys 4, lacks the element of finality. As evidenced by the movie itself, it’s clear that Will and Martin can’t exactly do too many more of these movies. If it was meant to be a farewell to the franchise, then it needed a bit more punctuation! There’s no big checkmate, sacrifice, or loss that would have made it a special finish. There also isn’t a “passing of the baton” moment, in case the producers would like to continue making Bad Boys movies with a younger, fresher cast. Albeit all these negatives, it’s a good movie with fun moments, and a stellar cast, and nothing else besides that.

With a total run time of one hour and forty-nine minutes (minus credits), it feels just about right. Neither too long, nor too short. I would rate it a solid 6.5 out of 10. I definitely recommend you give it a watch and tell us what you think.