Bad Boys for Life

I spent a weekend with the whole trilogy and I’m raising my rating of the third instalment to four stars. At the cinema, I was bothered by the cheap digital visuals of the action scenes, which weren’t so noticeable on a large TV screen. The movie lacks Bay’s trademarks and compositional uniqueness, but when we take the third film’s screenplay into consideration, we see that the trademarks and visuals of the preceding films were really the only things that made them interesting. That’s true especially of the second one. Bad Boys for Life has the best screenplay by far, as it tastefully incorporates historical motifs, works cleverly and sympathetically with the characters, including the supporting characters such as the police team leaders and the distinctive bad guys, and even aptly makes fun of itself (“This is some serious telenovela shit!”). And the new, fresh team spirit evokes the beginning of a new Bad Boys era, which I believe will not eventually slip into the realm of retardation like the Fast & Furious franchise. At least as long as Arbi and Fallah are in charge. (01/22/2020)

The ending is like something out of a Mexican telenovela on a (good) trip. The Bad Boys are back for one last escapade, but surprisingly it seems like more of a toned-down version of the first one with emphasis placed on the story. The effective storyline around Mike is brimming with death. Smith really needed this role again, which might well restart his career. And Lawrence will never land a better role. The AMMO team is unexpectedly fine and the chemistry between the old and the new works unexpectedly well. Even the new directors know their stuff. They can’t yet compete with the big boss, but they have style. And Bay’s cameo was also good to see. P.S. Paola Nuñez is awesome. (02/01/2020)

In its fourth instalment, a gerontic reunion held years later, the iconic buddy-movie series Lethal Weapon set out on the path of a sitcom or television genre show for middle-aged people. With its protagonists a decade older, Bad Boys makes a bee line to the soap-opera genre for seniors. On the one hand, it is fully conscious of that fact, which adds the necessary exaggeration to the film. On the other hand, the exaggerated soap-operatic moments of kitschy melodrama will paradoxically remain in the viewer’s memory longer than the diligently constructed action sequences, which are undermined by the need to digitally insert the aging stars into sequences with physically fit young people. (01/04/2021)

The underdog turned out to be a January hit, both financially and critically, and Bad Boys 3 is definitely the best part of the whole trilogy and a nice start to 2020. Will Smith is back in great form and Martin Lawrence is back to his usual bubbly self, but his humour is great again. I was worried that without Michael Bay the action wouldn't have any bite, but Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are very confident and ambitious in the action scenes, helped by some great cinematography, a large dose of violence and plenty of interesting ideas. The bad guys are good too, especially the for me unknown Jacob Scipio, who does a solid job, and his mother played by Kate del Castillo is also good. I must also praise the music and the very fast pace, where action alternates with humour and there is no time to watch the clock, let alone think. Great fun that has style and flair. 8/10. (01/29/2020)

The best episode. A consistent, funny and very entertaining sequel that makes sense script-wise and doesn't offend with its action. Understandably, it lacks Michael Bay's signature style, so there's a lot less banging and iconic shots. But the unknown director duo have come up with a playful sequel that makes the most of the bare minimum and everything they touch works. Whether Bruckheimer held it together is hard to say, but it doesn't really matter. Bad Boys 4? I’m up. (01/19/2020)