On its initial release in 1995, Bad Boys put Martin Lawrence, Will Smith and Michael Bay on the map when it comes to movies. Twenty-five years later, Lawrence and Smith return to their famous roles with Bad Boys for Life. For me, writing a Bad Boys for Life review is interesting. The film is a nostalgia-driven follow-up appealing more to fans who grew up with the last two films. As somebody who is not a fan of either of Bay’s films, I found this film quite enjoyable. It’s far from perfect, but the new directors know how to bring a lot of the same energy from the previous films, while also giving it enough of a new spin.
A New Creative Team
While he does make a cameo, this sequel does not have Michael Bay in the director’s chair. Instead, Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are in charge. Both directors are a breath of fresh air, bringing in fun action and snappy direction, but never overwhelming viewers like Bay did with Bad Boys II.
The action in particular is great, being snappy, fast-paced and creative. It’s clear Arbi and Fallah had a lot of fun developing these setpieces. The energy is almost infectious, as the camera swoops and swerves around each scenario, and is at its strongest in the hand-to-hand combat. To say nothing on how the film shows the beauty of Miami. It’s clear both men love Bay, but also want to have their own voice at the same time.
An Average, if Disappointing Script
Less impressive is the screenplay by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig, and Joe Carnahan, who almost directed this film. The one element that really works is Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey. More specifically, them getting older and their place in the force. Several scenes show Marcus and Mike talk about retiring and dealing with the fact they aren’t as invincible as they were 25 years ago. Both Lawrence and Smith pull it off well, surprisingly giving the film a bit more depth.
The downside comes from the world surrounding the heroes. Mike Lowrey finds himself working with AMMO, a new team of young, tech-driven specialists. There are some fun ideas about generation gaps here and there, but it doesn’t quite go all the way. The new characters here are largely flat, despite talents like Vanessa Hudgens and Charles Melton, and don’t really add much, outside of a few action scenes. AMMO feels more like a set-up for a streaming show than an actual story element.
Perhaps the biggest drawback comes down to the antagonists, played by Jacob Scipio and Kate del Castillo. Their personalities are forgettable, and their master plan just isn’t very interesting. The script is at its absolute worst when the bad guys are connected to the leads, with a contrived and out of nowhere twist before the climax.
Of course, most are not going to see a Bad Boys movie for the story. However, a couple rewrites would have at least made it more memorable.
To Sum Up…
As a nostalgic return of an old series, Bad Boys for Life does its job well. There’s plenty of fun action and comedy, helped by the return of its two lead actors. Arbi and Fallah also give enough of a new spin that it may get people not as fond of the first two on board. It’s just disappointing that it plays itself too safe and doesn’t quite work as well as it could have. But in the end, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith still have just enough charm to make this an amusing two hours.
Read my Aladdin review here