Movie Review: Bad Boys for Life (2020)
Synopsis: After risking his life countless times with the Miami Police Department and becoming a new grandfather, Det. Marcus Burnett is ready to retire but his long-time partner and friend, Det. Mike Lowrey tries to convince him otherwise. When Lowery is shot by an unknown assailant and nearly dies, Burnett calls it quits. Lowrey, however, motivated by anger after six months of rehabilitation, insists on being involved with the investigation. Marcus, who made a promise to God to avoid violence in exchange for Lowrey surviving his wounds, wants to remain retired but is soon drawn into the investigation as well.
Who's in it? The movie stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig and Jacob Scipio.
Review: I have been a bit reluctant to watch Bad Boys for Life because nostalgia-motivated sequels don't usually pan out. However, thanks to the dangerously cold temperatures outside yesterday, my wife and I had time to re-watch the first two Bad Boys movies and after doing so, decided to give this one a try as well. As it turns out, it was much better than expected.
One of the biggest flaws with sequels that take place more than a decade (in this case 17 years) after the last film is writers tend to become a bit too reliant on Easter eggs and convenient character reunions. That wasn't the case with this film. It was a unique investigation; throwback references were kept to a minimum and the pacing wasn't bogged down by memories of the first two films.
I also thought the plot was interesting. There's a lot of mystery surrounding the shooter and Mike (Smith) has to learn to work with a team of newer police officers using the latest techniques and technology while also demonstrating how his old-school street smarts are still needed. This leads to some exciting scenes where things go wrong and there's a whole lot of bullets and explosions. Meanwhile, Marcus (Lawrence) is torn between helping his friend and enjoying a peaceful retirement with his grandson.
The twist involving the shooter (Scipio) was also an interesting surprise that both upended Mike's life and kept the ending from being as predictable as it could have been. The final battle was also entertaining to watch, with various twists, turns and (once again) explosions, living up to the rest of the movie.
My only real complaint about this movie is one I have about most action films - Mike survives an awful lot, to the point I was beginning to wonder if the writers were mistaking him for Will Smith's superhero character from Hancock.
Let's put it this way, Mike in one of the scenes, Mike is thrown from a window then thrown again from a balcony onto a sidewalk. A scene later, he's fine. I am seven years younger than Will Smith and, when I slipped on the ice a couple years ago, taking much less of a fall, it took me a month to feel normal again. I get it's a movie but the stuff he goes through with little more than a scratch tends to get a bit unbelievable after a while.
Final Opinion: It's an entertaining movie that does the nostalgia sequel idea justice by honoring the originals without fixating on them. I'd recommend watching it and am looking forward to watching the latest installment from the franchise when I get a chance.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other Will Smith movies:
Movie Review: Wild Wild West (1999)
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