REVIEW: The Bad Boys are Back and Better Than Ever in Bad Boys for Life
Fans said goodbye to Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) fourteen years ago, believing it to be their last interaction with the dynamic duo. As studios struggle to release new, innovative offerings, Sony opted to bring the Bad Boys back with a new movie in the series. Fortunately for Sony, in this instance some things really do get better with age.
Bad Boys For Life features the return of Miami PD Detectives, Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence), as they deal with the next step in their careers: retire or continue with the force. As often seen in the previous two films, Mike and Marcua have very different opinions on the matter. When Mike is shot down by an unknown assassin, they are forced to decide sooner rather than later. Mike and Marcua are thrust into a situation aligning them with the department’s new, elite task force, AMMO, led by Mike’s former love interest, Rita (Paola Nuñez). It now up to Marcus, Mike, and Team AMMO to stop the assassin before it’s too late.
This movie does not shy away from action, but it takes into account the age of its characters. Directors, Adli El Arbi and Bilall Fallah touch on the fact that Mike and Marcus have gotten older and may not be as active as they once were. The directors do it in a way that creates several funny scenes between Smith and Lawrence. Interwoven throughout the films are nice callbacks to this film’s predecessors; the directors mix this in without forcing it or making it an unnatural fit. Credit has to be given to Smith and Lawrence for bringing this to life as they are so good together, but the directors did quite well to make this an enjoyable addition to the franchise.
Smith and Lawrence return to their buddy cop roles as if no time has passed. Each bring their original character back to life, peppered with a bit more gray hair, some new aches, and continuing pains. This movie continues to prove these two are a winning pair. Smith and Lawrence brought their A game for every scene of this movie, whether it be their easy, natural banter or the more intense, emotional moments.
Paola Nuñez plays Rita, head of Team AMMO and is joined by teammates, Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens), Dorn (Alexander Ludwig) and Rafe (Charles Melton). The AMMO team interacts smoothly with Mike and Marcus, but they are clearly the secondary characters. Arbi and Fallah introduced these characters without distracting from the main storyline or making it seem as if the new characters were stunt-casting. The trios main responsibility is to help drive the story and support Mike and Marcus, which Hudgens, Ludwig, and Melton, handle well.
Bad Boys For Life is the perfect follow-up to Bad Boys 2 and the perfect welcome back for Mike and Marcus. It is filled with a lot of action and some extremely funny scenes. You will be laughing from start to finish. The movie will also have old and new fans begging for another one when all is said and done. Hopefully, Sony Pictures, and Smith and Lawrence, decide to continue this series. As a heads up, there is a post credit scene so make sure to check it out.
Grade: A