Will Smith

• Title: Bad Boys: Ride or Die
• IMDb: link

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is exactly what you would expect from the franchise known for its inconsistent consistency. We get plenty of action and explosions, overly convoluted plot leading into some humorous (and some groanworthy) situations, and a hefty dose of nostalgia and nods to fans for a franchise that is now nearly 30 years old. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return once more, this to to clear the name of their former captain (Joe Pantoliano who appears in flashbacks and shitty artsy-fartsy dream sequences). Thrown in are the obvious bad guy hiding in plain sight along with the returning Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, and Paola Núñez.

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Bad Boys: Ride or DieRead More »

• Title: Bad Boys for Life
• IMDb: link

Hitting theaters 16 years after Bad Boys II, and 25 years after the original film, Bad Boys for Life feels about as tired as its two stars at times. The film reunites Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the latest attempt of movie studios to reboot, relaunch, or recycle any franchise they can find. There’s no real reason for the film to exist, but Smith and Lawrence provide some entertaining moments bouncing off one another to keep you mildly interested between explosions and gun fights (which, sadly, fail to reach insanity of Michael Bay at his best).

Reminiscent of the themes from Lethal Weapon 4, the script from Chris Bremner, Peter Craig, and Joe Carnahan (it really took three of you to write this?) centers mostly on the advanced age of our two leads (one of whom is aging more gracefully than the other). After breaking out of prison, a criminal from their past (Kate del Castillo) returns to take revenge through a talented assassin (Jacob Scipio) in a plot that gets a bit more convoluted than it needs to before director Adil El Arbi finally throws in the towel and decides instead to just make various things explode (whether common sense or logic says they should).

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Mediocre Sequel, Mediocre Sequel. Whatcha Gonna Do?Read More »