Bad Boys for Life

Bad Boys for Life

Starring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Paola Nunez, Joe Pantoliano

Directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah

As I've said in reviews before, sequels that come out decades after the original are often lackluster at best and "why bother" at worst, franchises thought long-dead but decides to rise from their graves like zombies to shuffle in another go-around in the hopes of financial gain, but only resulting in evidence of how the cinematic landscape has changed for the better.  Films like "Zoolander 2," "Bad Santa 2," and the like were met with understandable ire and lukewarm receptions, as they tried to maintain the same comedic style that made them successes decades earlier.  So when announcement that "Bad Boys for Life" - the third in the franchise, although I think it would've been a better title for the eventual fourth - was finally leaving development gestation and coming to the big screen twenty-five years after the original, that was already strike one for me.  Strike two came when it was announced that it wouldn't be directed by Michael Bay, but instead by two relatively unknowns named Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (who are introduced in the film as just "Adil & Bilall," who undoubtedly aren't famous enough for mononyms).  Finally the third strike came when the film was released in mid-January, the worst time for films where companies who aren't proud of their products throw them out to die a quick, painless death.

So you can color me surprised when not only did I find it entertaining, but actually better than some of its predecessors - a film that does adhere to the classic tropes of long-awaited sequels, but also invigorates new life into the forgotten franchise while delivering another solid buddy rivalry between Martin Lawrence and Will Smith that proves when certain friends get together after years of being apart, it's like they never separated.

For this round, Detectives Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) find themselves on the other end of the spectrum - not the young bucks anymore, they find themselves almost old relics in a world that's left them behind.  Yet the past doesn't stay dead, and a long-lost enemy resurfaces that threatens Mike's life just as Marcus is considering retirement due to his daughter giving birth to a son, making Marcus a grandfather.

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return again and shows that time has aged them like fine wine (Smith anyway, Lawrence looks like he thought he was appearing in "Big Momma's House 4"), and the two continue their friendly banter as if the second and third films came out a year apart.  We're already invested in their characters, and they add a deeper sense of who they are apart from just criminal hunting cops who are known for leaving a lot of collateral damage.  We see a rift in this friendship after Mike finds his life threatened, and wants retaliation swiftly and severely due to his hot-headed nature.  Marcus wants to retire, spend time with his family, and feels Mike is on a suicide mission, and just wants Mike to find a good girl himself and settle down - but obviously that's not going to happen, so the two come together again for "one last ride" (even though it's already revealed a "Bad Boys 4" is on the way).

Much like sequels that've come out decades later, there's the inevitable clash of old versus new, and that comes in the form of AMMO - a new branch of the force that features a group of young, attractive, hot-headed recruits who rely on drone surveillance, computer hacking, and non-lethal takedowns instead of the classic shoot-first-ask-questions-later approach.  Obviously these two conflicting ideals clash before coming to a mutually beneficial agreement, but it's not as annoying as other films (most notably "The Expendables 3"), and the characters ("High School Musical" star Vanessa Hudgens, who continues to surprise and amaze me with her expansive talents; "Vikings" star Alexander Ludwig who's the muscle but also doesn't like fighting; "The Sun is Also a Star" breakout star Charles Melton as the hothead who's constantly insulting Smith's age) are actually enjoyable and not insufferable.

The two things that makes a "Bad Boys" film is the comedy and action - the comedy is organically there whenever you put Smith and Lawrence together, and the action is also top-notch.  There's hardly a dull moment as the two friends find themselves being shot at by bikers, sniped at by expert marksmen, or getting involved on the wrong side of helicopters - lots of helicopters.  The film easily earns its R-rating, but not in a gratuitous way - the violence is necessary, especially with the high levels of it.  Without the violence, it wouldn't be "Bad Boys," and this is definitely a "Bad Boys" film through and through.

Despite it having a lot going against it, "Bad Boys for Life" proves that there's staying power in this once long-forgotten franchise, and that Will Smith and Martin Lawrence still got what it takes to deliver an enjoyable, comedic, action-packed adventure.

The Score: A