'Bad Boys for Life' Is More of the Same

Bad Boys sequels tend to get overdue.  It took eight years before Bad Boys (1995) got followed up by Bad Boys II (2003).  And due to years and years of development issues, it took 17 years before Bad Boys II got followed up by Bad Boys for Life, which just got released this year (and I’ve just got to recently watch).

Was the wait worth it?  After all, when it comes to sequels, the longer the gap between the release dates of the predecessor and the sequel, the greater is the burden for the latter to offer something fresher and more worthwhile.  Well, Bad Boys for Life just offers more of the same that its predecessors had.  And there are definitely much superior buddy cop action comedies than these Bad Boys movies out there.  However, if you’re a fan of this franchise (as I am), you will find Bad Boys for Life to be adequately delightful despite its shortcomings.

Bad Boys for Life once again follows Miami Police Department (MPD) narcotics division detective lieutenants Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) in a balls-to-the-wall adventure.  This time, Mike becomes the personal target of a drug cartel kingpin’s widow (Kate del Castillo) and son (Jacob Scipio) who are hell-bent of exacting revenge on everyone involved in his arrest, trial, and eventual death in prison.  To stop their murderous tear, Mike and Marcus team up with AMMO (Advanced Miami Metro Operation) – a team of cops who fight crime using state-of-the-art technology led by Mike’s ex-flame Rita Secada (Paola Núñez).

While the plot has some nice new ideas and interesting twists-and-turns, I don’t think most of them completely make sense.  Meanwhile, there are a couple of plot points and scenes that I felt were derivatives of the older movies.  And while the action set pieces are decently exciting, they aren’t quite special.  Regardless of these, I was satisfied with this movie.

In the first place, I’ve become fond of the Bad Boys series, even though it isn’t outstanding in a technical sense, because of its main characters, Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett.  I’ve really enjoyed much their dynamic as partners that they’ve even made my list for all-time favorite duos in fiction.  When portraying these characters and their interactions, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence display amazing chemistry, which is what mostly keeps these flawed movies afloat.  Fortunately, a 17-year hiatus didn’t diminish this chemistry.  And thus, as what had been the case with the previous installments, it didn’t really matter that Bad Boys for Life is not that great, because Mike and Marcus, by the mere virtue of being them, somehow make the movie engaging and fun to watch nonetheless.

Overall, Bad Boys for Life won’t change anything about what you already feel about the Bad Boys franchise.  It’s definitely a disposable movie.  But if you are a fan of the franchise (as I am), you will be sufficiently entertained, at least.

Miscellaneous musings:

• Although none of the “next generation” supporting cast was truly a revelation, I was still somewhat surprised of their effectiveness.  Vanessa Hudgens (who will forever be identified as that girl from High School Musical), Alexander Ludwig (one of the career tributes in The Hunger Games), and Charles Melton (Reggie Mantle of Riverdale) are known for their YA roles, but they genuinely played against type in this movie and were actually believable as the tech-savvy but combat-competent cops of AMMO.  Meanwhile, newcomer Jacob Scipio displayed some potential as a charismatic action star.
• I just learned that there was a Bad Boys spin-off TV series that premiered last year called L.A.’s Finest.  It centers on Gabriella Union’s character (which is Marcus’ sister) from Bad Boys II.  Yeah, I’m a Bad Boys fan, but I have no interest of watching that.  LOL.
• Considering what’s hinted by the movie’s ending, the next Bad Boys installment should happen soon.  That concept simply won’t work if the usual eight- or seventeen-year wait gets applied once again.
• I’ve been thinking.  A ridiculous movie crossover that I feel would logically work is between Bad Boys and Fast and Furious.  Make it happen, Hollywood!