The Only Bad Boys Movie I Liked | Bad Boys for Life Review
Bad Boys for Life was directed by Belgian filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, from a screenplay provided to them by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig, and Joe Carnahan. It serves as the belated third installment in the Bad Boys franchise, whose two previous installments released in 1995 and 2003 respectively; this one made its debut in theaters on January 17, 2020.
Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Theresa Randle, and Joe Pantoliano reprise their roles from the earlier films, while newcomers to the Bad Boys franchise include Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, and others.
Here’s my brief synopsis of the film:
Nearly 25 years after Maimi PD narcotics detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett first partnered up, their relationship still remains strong while they nonetheless contemplate retirement, mortality, and midlife crises. Soon enough, though, they are forced to face a new threat strangely connected to their history in the police force. As their colleagues and close friends become targets, they vow to take down the perpetrator of such harsh violence, teaming up with the new task force AMMO to get the job done.
As was the case with my review of Rambo: Last Blood, I decided to share my thoughts on Bad Boys for Life by touching on the whole trilogy all at once. After all, up until just a week or so, I hadn’t seen a single Bad Boys movie. I wasn’t even sure whether I wanted to see the newest movie until I heard about the good word of mouth, in which I then decided to give the series a shot. With that, this post will mostly cover the new film, but I will briefly touch on the first two movies to establish context for my experience with the newest installment.
This review is the transcribed version of the YouTube review linked above; that video is 4 minutes and 22 seconds long. Regardless of the way you take in my opinion, I hope you enjoy my thoughts on the Bad Boys Trilogy!
Exactly a week ago, I had not seen a single Bad Boys movie. I had certainly had many experiences with Michael Bay’s work before — mostly bad ones — but somehow the tripped-out adventures of Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett had never graced my eyes. I then watched the original movies to prepare for Bad Boys for Life, and I must say that I don’t really hate them how I despise some of Michael Bay’s other work.
Don’t get me wrong, the original two Bad Boys movies are severely guilty of the problems most people associate with Bay’s filmography. There’s unnecessarily sexualized women, too much stuff going boom, bursts of graphic violence, action scenes that stretch one’s ability to suspend reality, and runtimes that are just far too long. His movies are just… excess.
The originals could be blamed for being the start of what people call “Bayhem” because they are literally just the amalgamation of every excessive idea the writers could come up with. At least, that’s how they came across to me.
Out of the two originals, I personally prefer Bad Boys II, but that’s only because of how insane it is. Technically speaking there is a lot more that’s wrong with it compared to its predecessor, but I suppose its style and energy are more fun to soak in.
With all this being said, after getting two movies that were quite similar in tone and quality, Bad Boys for Life didn’t seem promising. After all, I had noticed a couple of red flags. The biggest of these was that literally 17 YEARS passed between the release of this and Bad Boys II. Usually, development cycles that long and drawn-out for sequels aren’t good indicators. But on top of that, Michael Bay was replaced by directors virtually unknown to anyone living outside of Belgium. Not that I really would have wanted Michael Bay to return, but hiring young filmmakers without any prior experience in Hollywood is certainly a different kind of risk.
Somehow, however, Bad Boys for Life ended up being the best movie in this whole trilogy. In fact, it’s the only good one.
I should address that it’s still far from perfect, though. I honestly have no idea if I will even revisit it later on or have the same feelings I harbor now, so interpret my comments as you like. Besides, in the end, it’s still just a generic buddy cop movie. Any tropes you might expect are pretty much there, and Bad Boys for Life does little to deviate from cliches of the genre itself.
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| (Photo Source: IMDb) |
But aside from those easy things to complain about, some specific issues I had with this movie is that not every shot looks seamless, with plenty of fire effects, green screen images, and stunts having an unnatural appearance. Say what you will about Michael Bay’s movies, but plenty of them still utilize impressive practical, in-camera effects, unlike this which sometimes goes the cheaper route. Again, I know that less experienced filmmakers made this, but it’s impossible to not mention.
Also, I didn’t really feel that every scene worked towards building the narrative or setting up a joke, sometimes dragging down the film’s sense of pace. Plot armor was also very apparent in some scenes, often forcing me to suspend disbelief when things started to get really crazy.
Even so, that doesn’t mean that the film isn’t willing to put its characters in danger. In actuality, the situation couldn’t be further from the truth, and I think this is the first piece of evidence for why this film shines brighter than its two predecessors.
For the first time in this franchise that’s literally as old as I am, I actually got the sense that our heroes had legitimate obstacles keeping them from their goal. Not only that, instead of facing off against the most hilariously bland villains in history, Bad Boys for Life gives us an emotionally-charged reason for us to care about those who opposed Mike and Marcus. By cutting out a lot of the excess Michael Bay brought to the franchise, and exercising some restraint instead, these filmmakers actually told a coherent story with something at stake.
(Huh, maybe it really was Michael Bay who held these movies back for so long.)
I’ve heard some people compare Bad Boys for Life to franchise-altering movies like Fast Five and Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, and even though both of those are definitely better, it’s a valid point to make. By being more down to earth and focused on its storytelling like those other two movies, this connected on some level with me even as it delivered the humor and action I expected.
Since the movie actually gives the viewer something to become invested in, everything else is easy to watch while still keeping one’s brain switched on. Of course, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are as likable of a duo as they’ve ever been, but the movie also allows them to be more emotionally honest than they were in the previous movies. The writers managed to find more to explore in their characters as they approach a point where their mortality and legacy are called into question, and it all adds to everything that’s at stake in the story.
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| (Photo Source: IMDb) |
As a whole, Bad Boys for Life is not great by any means, but it’s a good change in direction. By getting fresh voices to make the creative choices, I think the result is a much more grounded, entertaining, and engaging film without sacrificing the franchise’s identity. And hey, if they do end up making a fourth movie, at least they’ve now got a good team of fun side characters to work with, which is basically this franchise’s version of the Dragon Riders.
Either way, here's to hoping that Bad Boys for Life is signaling a bright future for this franchise.
BAD BOYS SCORE: C-
BAD BOYS II SCORE: C
BAD BOYS FOR LIFE SCORE: B
AGE RECOMMENDATIONS:
Bad Boys: 16+
Bad Boys II: 18+
Bad Boys for Life: 15+
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