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After Adil & Bilall took over the Bad Boys franchise from Michael Bay with Bad Boys for Life (which, in retrospect, should have been the title for this entry), perhaps there’s a new energy brought on forth compared to Bay’s bombastic spectacle and focus on explosions. With how they’ve reinvigorated both Will Smith and Martin Lawrence after years of not having made another Bad Boys movie prior to Bad Boys for Life, it’s easy to say that they might be the right people to match the energy that Michael Bay would have brought on. But they’re not interested in recreating Bay’s mania as much as they are doing their own thing with these movies: which might very well be what helps make it so distinctive.

Following the events of Bad Boys for Life, Ride or Die starts out with both Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) having turned over a new leaf from his womanizing days, now getting married to his personal therapist Christine (Melanie Liburd). But even then, heading to his wedding is no breeze when he’s taking his partner and best friend Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) along for the ride. Everything seems to be in order, until their late former Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is accused of corruption. Knowing that Howard would never take on such an opportunity, the two set out to clear his name – only to find themselves on a more dangerous journey that effectively renders them fugitives.

There’s not really all too much about Bad Boys that would propel this series into anything revelatory – although perhaps it stands out from most buddy cop movies of the time just by virtue of how Michael Bay’s aggressive style and juvenile humour makes it so distinct. It’s taken to a whole other extreme in Bad Boys II, where it amps up the tastelessness to an extreme degree but not without at least feeling like an assault on the senses or even your own tastes. Simply put, it’s Michael Bay’s style – which Adil & Bilall are lifting a whole lot from once again for Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Everything about this movie feels like it’s amping up what they’ve already done in Bad Boys for Life, trying to match that same energy Michael Bay brought forth in Bad Boys II.

And for a little under two hours, Bad Boys: Ride or Die just keeps everything consistently entertaining too. Of course, it’s always fun watching Mike and Marcus banter off one another because of the chemistry that Will Smith and Martin Lawrence share with one another but it’s also great seeing that Reggie, a fan favourite character from his first appearance in Bad Boys II gets his time to shine in a standout scene. It’s funny in all the right spots, but pulse-pounding in the same sense too – for Adil & Bilall are just having fun with all their resources to create something that looks great to our eyes. It all hits a peak within its climax, which is one inventive set piece after another, even then it never lets down from there onward.

But perhaps where Adil & Bilall’s own approach to these movies hits a peak comes from the manner in which these two are reckoning with our two leads’ aging. Even then, when you know exactly what Michael Bay’s movies had aimed for, it feels almost jarring to see within this context but they know just how to make it work. There are many moments in Bad Boys: Ride or Die that carry on this idea as they’ve introduced it in Bad Boys for Life, but it also seems to come at odds with the juvenile humour that this series is built on too. When it comes back, it’s never as successful as it is in Bad Boys for Life, but it certainly leads to more bizarre moments that reckon with their own mortality where you’d least expect it.

Alas, that’s probably why Bad Boys: Ride or Die succeeds at the very end of the day. It’s about as manic as you’d hope a movie like this could be, even though those chaotic heights of Michael Bay’s Bad Boys II are unmatched. Adil & Bilall bring such chaos for their second Bad Boys movie, separate from Bay’s own schtick – and it’s consistently entertaining. It’s just as well what you could hope a movie with aging action heroes could be today, and it succeeds at its own goal. That’s just all one really needs in order to know it’s a fun time all around.

Watch the trailer right here.

All images via Sony.

Directed by Adil & Bilall
Screenplay by Chris Bremner, Will Beall
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Will Smith, Chad Oman, Doug Belgrad
Starring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Jacob Scipio, Melanie Liburd, Tasha Smith, Tiffany Haddish, Joe Pantoliano
Premiere Date: May 22, 2024
Running Time: 115 minutes