The hilariously fun duo (sorry, Bad Boys) are back at it again!
That’s right. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence returned to turbocharge the screen with their marvelous chemistry and stunts. You’d see it as twofold, dare this writer say ostensibly: A) perhaps this could be the redemption for Smith after his recent controversy in the Oscars ceremony in 2022, and B) maybe this latest utilization of IP experience “might” come back to kick off the agonizing state of the box office. Technically, we don’t necessarily need another Bad Boys feature. Still, numbers pull in folks, and their last chapter in 2020 (before the pandemic dismantled theaters) created a sense of reinvigoration in the series (while whipping up $426.5 million globally).
To be as transparent as possible, this is a perfectly acceptable bit of popcorn business. The appalling issue is that it feels like a comatose block of action movie cliches clinging together despite our duo’s kinetic vibrance packing the screen. Yes, the remediation can be our howling affinity to laugh along while they survive human struggles (anxiety, heart attacks, etc.), yet it does tread into a cartoonish realm that seems preposterously vague. It is leagues better than Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson’s baffling attempt to be anything but hilarious in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom from last year. However, Ride or Die is as derivative as it gets concerning The Fugitive and tidbits of Con Air (and at least a dozen other action movies preceding this one’s existence).
So the story kicks off with Mike’s (Smith) wedding, where, unfortunately, Marcus (Lawrence) has a heart attack. Marcus has visions of their deceased captain, Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano), and feels re-energized as a spiritual man who nigh-on believes he can’t physically die. With this detail only appearing in spurts, the real kicker of the narrative is that their captain is posthumously framed for being involved in a drug cartel, and the evidence keeps popping in at an alarming rate. Mike and Marcus set out to prove that their late captain is not guilty; however, they must work with Mike’s son Armando (Jacob Scipio), responsible in the previous movie for the captain’s death, to discover the individual behind these wretched schemes. James McGrath (Eric Dane) is their snarling (yet generic) foe, who continues to frame them while placing a bounty on their heads and having the authorities chase after them.
In one movie, it’s an adrenaline of action and fun banter that seems tamed down by a trammeled story. The whole situation regarding Marcus, as mentioned, only comes back in the fold a few times while he vocalizes himself as a zen wackadoodle who shares a soulful relationship with Mike. One’s tolerance for this will depend on how much they appreciate Lawrence’s goofiness. It’s also cumbersome to buy in a redemption arc for Armando, as he doesn’t necessarily resolve his father’s issues with Mike (unless a fifth movie is under development), and Mike complains he’s bound by fate to have terrible things happen concerning his family. I mean, we get it; your character survived a gunshot in the last movie and still came back to kick ass. Now, you’re haunted by random anxiety attacks. The ability to suspend disbelief when they pull off their ways of avoiding getting shot or run over seems mightily grating. Had Vin Diesel shown up to reiterate the family aspect, I think the whole theater would’ve had an epiphany.
The third act is where business comes alive for all parties, where the action runs rampant and stylishly preserves something valuable for the experience; it’s simply a shame that everything leading up to the film’s apex was somewhat lacking cohesive elements or replaying the beats we’d seen one too many times before. Bad Boys: Ride or Die is an acceptable product, but if you’re not here for the dumb entertainment value, you would be better off seeing a better action film.
