Bad Boys for Life

I never thought I would say this...but I wish Michael Bay had directed this. Maybe the earlier entries hold something dear to his heart and he wouldn't have allowed this to go off the rails.

The biggest casualty is the riffing between the Lawrence and Smith, which practically rips the soul right out of the franchise. The laughs from the first two movies came from the strong chemistry between the two leads and how they could argue in the middle of gun fights, car chases, etc. Here they just sound like an old married couple who have grown tired of each other.

The other casualty is the action scenes. The great Sam Peckinpah once said of the violence in his films that he wanted the audience to feel the impact of getting shot. Modern day use of CGI and such does the exact opposite. It feels more like you're watching somebody else play a video game. While some praise the visuals, I criticize its effect of pushing the viewer further away rather than drawing them in.

This could have been like Lethal Weapon IV and had some fun with its theme of the loose cannon dealing with aging. Instead its more like Beverly Hills Cop III and becomes a sad entry in an otherwise solid franchise.

How does this Bad Boys sequel gets such a high rating? There's clearly some cheating going on with those ratings. Bad Boys For Life is without a doubt the worst movie of this franchise. I did enjoy the early Bad Boys so I thought this one would be in the same lineage but all I got was irritation. I don't know who wrote this script but it's cringing to watch at times. We're used to overly exaggerated action scenes in this kind of movies but here it just gets ridiculous. The chemistry between Will Smith and the normally always funny Martin Lawrence is completely lost. I could count the funny moments on one hand, and even with those I had to force a smile. I can't say I did enjoy this movie, I was glad when I saw the end credits appearing, and I sincerely hope that they will close this chapter forever. We don't need another Bad Boys.

Sometimes its better to be remembered for what once was. Bad Boys for Life being a case in question.

This film simply does not work. Its chief failing not the age of its key players but the fact they seem to be forever apologising, for the fact.There are men and women in their 50's in the force, so why all the lame jokes about grey hair, sagging physiques and more?

Plus the need to drag on board secondary characters, apparently to carry the action side of this flick cause the lead characters are "sooooo over the hill"? The result is a film that feels messy, that's only occasionally funny and has no central focus.

What a shame. 5/10.

This feels lethargic and sluggish, its a smack in the face of the fast paced energetic first two. The leads look tired, the dialogue is 90's TV at best and the plot is laughable. Got no interest in a 4th if this is where its going.

This was a disappointing movie all around. The action, jokes, and even chemistry between Martin and Will felt forced as if they were going through the motions. The director seemed like he was trying to be Michael Bay but couldn't quite make it. Marcus was even more of a vagina (censored it) than usual and gets less action than ever before. The ride together mantra that seems constantly repeated throughout the film made it feel like I was watching a boring version of a Fast and Furious movie. Make no mistake I love the Bad Boys franchise. But this film is a weak watered-down version of Bad Boys. If they do make a part 4 which they are alluding to I certainly hope they make it better than this one.