Bad Boys 4 2024 Review

In the case of “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” I’m not directly accusing the writers of employing A.I., which is a burning issue in Hollywood. That said, I can’t shake the notion that if a computer designed the sequel to this blockbuster, the outcome may not have changed drastically. “Ride or Die” functions as more of a direct follow-up to 2020's “Bad Boys for Life” than most would expect. This sequel offers plenty of thrills the audience expects from the genre, albeit with a clear absence of novel approaches. At least the film’s furious pacing and frantic editing brings some life to the films, even if they lack creativity and intuition. Ride or Die seems to take the phrase, 'when you're out of options,’ too literally; hence, opting for coasting takes the creativity and risk out of the equation.

In "Ride or Die," just like the last film, Miami is introduced with an exhilarating drive that almost causes a heart-stopping accident for a beloved character. In the last movie, South Beach saw the attempted murder of Mike Lowery (Will Smith), while this installment starts with Marcus Miles (Martin Lawrence) having a heart attack during Mike and Christine's (Melanie Liburd) wedding. The previous movie's attempted murder set off a very intriguing storyline about friendship and taking second chances, but this time around, it’s a lot lighter since Marcus thinks he is practically invincible. After narrowly escaping death, he was told by the ghost of Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano) that his time would not come just yet. This leads Marcus to take extremely reckless risks such as running through traffic where his wife and work partner are trying to stop him. Not to mention, they begged him not to eat the Skittles.

Bad Boys 4 2024

Unlike For Life, which kept the audience captivated with tension from the attempted assassination, this film proceeds at a much slower pace during the build-up of its action scenes. While Marcus was fighting for his life, Conrad-Wan Kenobi told him, “a storm is coming,” which occurs in the form of a cartel enforcer by the name of McGrath, played by a rather dull Eric Dane, who, like Howard, has an underdeveloped backstory and only serves the purpose of a filler antagonist for fight scenes. With Howard’s reputation on the line, Marcus and Mike come to the grim realization that they have no choice but to exonerate him, and given that their scheming antagonist is Armando, portrayed splendidly by Jacob Scipio, who happens to be Mike’s son from the last film, they know it will not be easy.

This installment of Bad Boys features a potential future Miami mayor Lockwood who dates Mike’s ex Rita Secada, the new Captain of the squad, played by Paula Nunez. Also, we find out Captain Howard's Judy, played by Rhea Seehorn, is a US Marshal, and she has a daughter, Callie (Quinn Hemphill), who joins the story as a secondary captive. The cast is quite large, featuring Tasha Smith and Marcus’ wife Theresa, played by returning cast member and recast, Theresa Randle, as well as Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, and countless random cameos—some inspired and others mere echoes of better iterations of the earlier films.

At its core, a Bad Boys movie comes down to its leads—the synergy of Smith and Lawrence has always been the reason fans love these films. The charm of the 2020 installment was in how they were still able to have that dynamic after 17 years. This time, it is more strained: I found many of the jokes in the first half to be very different than what they were trying to do, and the dramatic parts felt overly familiar, shallow, and too much. Because of how the film is paced, it does not help that it feels very much longer than its predecessor. While depth isn’t exactly the strong suit of a Bad Boys movie, writers Chris Bremner and Will Beall are unable to find their intended balance. It is most blatant in moments in which they attempt to add nuance to issues like rampant corruption and the somehow the villain’s torture-induced radicalization, only to shift to other topics without properly addressing any of them. If the goal is lighthearted and silly, then fully commit to that direction rather than hinting at where 9/11 changed everything.

With a passion for drone photography, Adil and Bilall know how to engage moviegoers with their action scenes. Each shootout is accompanied by a drone camera which adds to the spectacular effect of each scene. Even if we acknowledge that Smith and Lawrence are far from flawless executing John Wick-level choreography at this point, the unrestrained chaos of movement and the camerawork is the highlight of the film. It’s powerful enough to be striking visually, which allows audiences to focus readily on the scenes being portrayed. The gator farm shoot-out, along with the helicopter chase, are incredibly entertaining, albeit the plot and character reasoning become more ludicrous the further into the story one goes (“superhuman” Marcus strength in the helicopter aside). Scipio should be credited for the addition of intensity to the previously lackluster action scenes, which gives balance to the rest of the film. He looks capable enough for heading the 'Bad Boys Jr.'

“Bad Boys For Life” was met with mixed reactions as a long-awaited film sequel that blended nostalgia with modern day action just before it hit theaters."Ride or Die" fails to deviate from the familiar formula and instead resorts to concepts that echo the previous film’s successes. While this may be profitable decision, it does not improve the overall quality of the content. Even A.I. understands this. I am not accusing the “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” writers of using A.I., which is a touchy subject in today’s Hollywood, but I will say a computer may have saved everyone time by using this script. 

Bad Boys 4 2024

"Ride or Die," unlike most box office blockbusters, is a more direct twist to 2020's "Bad Boys Watch here free Hurawatch for Life.” Even though it follows almost all the conventions of its ilk, it does so in a patently uninspired manner. At some points the movie does take flight due to the electric editing, but it never demonstrates the bold imagination required to break free from the confines of creative restraint and risks that placate the audience. Now I know what went wrong – the option should have been: Ride, Die, or Just Coast.

In summation of "Ride or Die," significant elements are from the previous film starting with the breathtaking Miami drive and ending with a near fatal incident for a beloved character. For the last movie, it was Mike “Lowery” (Will Smith) who got shot on South Beach, whereas in this installment it is Marcus Miles (Martin Lawrence) having a heart attack during Mike’s wedding to Christine (Melanie Liburd). The previous movie's plot of murder attempt sparked a storyline about friendship and taking stories of seizing second chances, but this time takes a light and humorous spin since Marcus is convinced he is immortal. After the life and death incident, the ghost of Captain “Conrad Howard” (Joe Pantoliano) consoled Marcus by stating that “your time has not come yet”, which led Marcus to undisciplined behavior like running in front of traffic, eating Skittles, and defying his wife and work partner who-begged him to stop.

As opposed to *For Life*, which featured an attempted murder undertaking that drove the story forward, this film seems to indulge in build-up before diving into the action. While Marcus was engaged in a life-or-death struggle, Conrad-Wan Kenobi awaited with the ominous warning: “a storm is coming!” The storm, in this case, takes the form of a cartel enforcer named McGrath, played by a rather uninspiring Eric Dane, who functions simply as an action prop for the fight scenes in the film. This film introduces one of the most outrageous antagonists who is deceptively poorly-constructed and underdeveloped in an over the top blockbuster as he sets up Howard for corruption by bloodlessly funneling drug money into the captain’s dead account. As Marcus and Mike understand that saving Howard is a matter of reputation, they set out with the determination of doing whatever it takes to unmask the true culprit, which, of course, involves the requisite buried war secrets that only the imprisoned Armando, Mike’s ex from the previous film, can provide.

A "Bad Boys" film would not be complete with out the system being challenged by the protagonists, which in this case involves a potential Miami Mayor, Lockwood (Ioan Gruffudd), who is Rita Secada’s (Paola Nunez) new Captain and ex-romantic partner of Mike. Moreover, we discover Captain Howard's daughter Judy (Rhea Seehorn) is a US Marshal and her daughter Callie (Quinn Hemphill) also joins the fight, acting as a secondary victim but mostly as another captor. The cast is quite extensive including Tasha Smith as Marcus’ wife Theresa (a recast from Theresa Randle) along with the returning Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig alongside some random cameos that are hit or miss—some being inspired while others reminisce better moments from older films.

Fundamentally, a Bad Boys film is centered on its main characters — the interplay of Smith and Lawrence is single-handedly the key reason why audiences love these films. The charm of the 2020 edition lay in their capacity to maintain that interplay 17 years later. This time, however, it feels less balanced; too many jokes in the first half simply do not land, whilst the tension feels weak and tired. The product is a film that is distinctly shorter than the predecssor, yet feels significantly longer due to erratic pacing. Although depth is not the selling point of a Bad Boys movie, writers Will Beall and Chris Bremner can’t seem to find the right approach. Subtly, they add more advanced ideas, like the brutal corruption of the villain’s character through torture, only to leave them half-baked. If the goal is to be silly and lighthearted, then commit to that, rather than half-heartedly hinting at subjects like how the 9/11 attacks changed the world.

Drones may not have existed when the first two installments of “Bad Boys” were produced, but that is not a problem in “Bad Boys For Life”. Adil and Bilall, the directors, used their love for drone photography to strategically capture each shootout, enhancing the movie’s flow. Smith and Lawrence may not be performing John Wick-level choreography, but the action’s chaotic fluidity is the most captivating element of the film. The dynamic visuals allow the audience to eagerly digest the fast-paced scenes. The breathtaking gator farm shootout and the breathtaking helicopter chase are especially fun, though the character's motives and the plot only get more absurd as the movie goes on (Like Marcus inexplicably gaining superhuman strength during the heli-pilot stunt). Scipio deserves props for adding even more of the energy that the film severely lacks during the other parts into the action. He could head up a ‘Bad Boys Jr.’

Longtime fans were surprised during the pandemic when the initial 'Bad Boys' spinoff trailer was revealed, gleefully reminiscing and noticing that the latest installment seemed to capture the mix of nostalgia alongside modern filmmaking seamlessly—without missing a beat.

“Bad Boys for Life” was met with mixed reception from fellow action-movie enthusiasts.

It's not difficult to understand why the makers of "Ride or Die" made the safe choice of sticking to a tried-and-tested formula instead of building on the strengths of the previous film. Although this approach might help at the box office, it certainly does not add any quality to the film. Even an AI can see that.