Bad Boys: Ride or Die

The weekend, Bad Boys Ride or Die, the fourth film in the Bad Boys franchise releases in theaters. Bad Boys Ride or Die follows Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett as they try to clear the name of their deceased captain after he is accused of corruption. After digging deep into the case, they find themselves fugitives on the run and must find the real corrupted officials to clear their names. I have enjoyed all of the Bad Boys films with the third being my favorite. This movie saw the same team from the third film return so I was excited to see what they were going to do next.

I had a great time with this movie. This movie takes what worked in the previous film and builds on it. Just like the third film, this movie has very personal stakes with a villain that connects to someone in Mike and Marcus's lives. We also get to see Mike and Marcus go through some growth in the movie with both of them going through life-changing events and having those events affect their mindsets in this film. This movie also does a great job of giving everyone their own fun little moment. There is a scene in the middle of the film where the most unexpected character absolutely steals the show and it is the best part of the movie. I also really liked the action sequences in this movie. There were a lot of huge practical action sequences that were just so much fun to watch and really brought these movies to the next level. Along the same lines, the movie goes for some very unique shooting styles during the action sequences that just add to the action and make it more exciting. There is a scene towards the end where the camera looks like it is attached to Mike's gun and it just makes for a very exciting way to view the action. Of course, just like the rest of the films, Mike and Marcus have great chemistry together. They play so well off each other and their constant bickering is very funny. Finally, I liked how this movie managed to connect to the rest of the Bad Boys films with the third film being the heaviest connection to this film.

There isn't much I dislike about the film but there are a few aspects that keep it from an A. The biggest issue is that they made Marcus a bit too goofy of a character. In the previous films, he is a bit goofy but it is never over the top. In the movie, it seems like they way overdo it and may have hurt the Marcus character a bit. I also wasn't a fan of how they treated Mike and Marcus's internal issues as the butt of jokes. Mike has issues with panic attacks throughout the film but instead of resolving it at the end, they use it for the butt of a joke.

Overall, this is a solid addition to the franchise. While the movie does go a bit goofy at times, it is clear that the Bad Boys franchise is on a hot streak.

Score:8/10 Grade: B+ Recommendation: Watch it if you are a fan of the franchise