Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Review - A Fun Ride, But Dies Soon

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Review Movie Talkies

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Review: The 4th film in the Bad Boys franchise comes as a nice break from the last downer but doesn't deliver enough to boost the franchise. Bay's Bad Boys (1995) remains unmatched by distance, but the problem with the last two movies is that they couldn't even reach half of it in terms of repeat value. But let me tell you that Bad Boys 4 still defines humor in a new way and does give you at least a dozen good gags that will surely make you feel at home. Die or Ride is definitely a fun ride, but the dramatic substances die soon, and we have some old horse shhiit coming in to bore you in between.Ride or Die begins with some fantasy and spiritual shiit by Marcus (Martin Lawrence) as he returns for death and believes that "he can't die." Mike (Will Smith) is told that "there is a storm coming and you gotta make a tough choice," and as expected, the storm comes. The late Captain Conrad Howard is posthumously accused of being involved in a cartel, and enough evidence has been found. Mike, who is finally married after dating and failing many girls in the previous films and spiritually boosted Marcus, can't see anybody calling their late boss "dirty," so they are off to bust the cartel. Mike seeks help from his son, Armando (Jacob Scipio), but all three are framed and declared fugitives. Will they be able to catch the head of the cartel and prove the captain's innocence?Some things are horribly outdated (if not wrong) in the screenplay, as we see a lot of pauses, slow mos and flashbacks in certain dramatic moments. The flashback shiit got old 50 years ago; hence, Michael Bay didn't use any such soapy drops even in the 90s. Sadly, today's writers and filmmakers couldn't see that, and I am not going to be soft on anybody's asss here. Mike's panic attacks, Marcus' fantasies about the universe, Rita's new affair, Armando's goodwill, Howard's daughter being aggressive about revenge, and the entire rat thing—all are fukking dated. Nobody's selling that crap again in 2024, at least to me. What pleased me was the humor at certain places, such as Marcus giving a tight slap to Mike when he is seeing typically boring flashbacks. What a freaking hilarious thing to see! Then, we have some of the of the same old trash, like Lockwood asking Rita, "You still love him?" Bro, come on, they didn't even try that thing when Mike didn't mingle with Marcus' sister. "It means.... Nothing to me, you piece of _____. That reminds me of Marcus' speech at Mike's wedding. Another humorous scene to remember here. A special mention goes to the "Ding Dong" and "Licking" scenes. Rest; it's the same old "donkey" stuff, so don't expect healthy chicken here.Will Smith and Martin Lawrence carry the entire film on their shoulders, but the magic of the 1990s couldn't be brought alive again. It was impossible, naturally, and expecting that would be a crime itself. I was glad to see Dennis Greene finally getting a hell of an important scene in the Bad Boys franchise. He killed 15 people, man. That's insane, and he gave a SALUTE like a true man. Reggie deserved this scene long ago, but finally it came when the franchise was feeling pretty low. Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig have a surprise for you—if you can call it a surprise. Paola Núñez got a sexy look again, but there was nothing substantial about her character. Eric Dane makes a deadly villain, while Ioan Gruffudd surprises (again, if you call it a surprise). Melanie Liburd and Tasha Smith have merely any scenes to be counted, whereas Jacob Scipio gets a meaty role and does well too. Bringing Joe Pantoliano seemed forced, as it felt like a desperate attempt to resurrect old magic, but it didn't work on that level. Nothing too bad about it, though. The rest of the cast was okay; it was sort of like "it will do."Comparatively, Bad Boys: Ride Or Die has fewer action scenes than the previous film. We have two notable action scenes in the first half, followed by the climax. Even that looked dated and sub-par. The cinematography was quite good, and the visual effects seemed decent. The background score didn't help much, though, but the same tappy "Bad Boys, Bad Boys.." brought some tunning to it. Adil & Bilall had done a strictly average job last time, and this was slightly better. The problem is that the filmmaking and viewing experiences of the audience have evolved to a greater extent in these four years. We can't help getting bored with some mainstream tantrums from decent entertainers anymore. That "BLOCKBUSTER" experience of Bad Boys (1995) is missing, and it's missing by miles. Ride or Die tries, succeeds in a few things, and misses a few things. Now it's up to you what you are looking for this time. Are you the same 80s kid who's gonna sit on the sofa and watch Bad Boys 1 aging, or are you happy to purchase a ticket and go to cinema halls to catch Bad Boys 4? The former is a better option any day, I guess, but the latter isn't too bad either.