Admittedly, I was never a huge fan of Bad Boys. I always gravitated towards Rush Hour for my buddy cop movie fix. The first two movies are okay, but I felt like Michael Bay held those movies back a little so he could be his self-indulgent self.

Well, Bay is nowhere to be found here (okay, except for a small cameo). This was easily the best film in the series. I walked away having more fun watching this than either of the other two films. 

The film gets it right by allowing Lawrence and Smith to let loose and have fun. There are some truly hilarious moments in this movie where I (and my audience) laughed out loud. Comedy isn’t dead, yay!

The action sequences are well choreographed and thrilling to watch. The movie utilized the Miami setting well.

The overall cast is fine. I was shocked to see Vanessa Hudgens in this movie! And that guy from Hunger Games! And the guy from Riverdale!  Whoever did the casting for this movie said “what are the kids watching today?” But everyone’s roles are very small compared to our main characters. 

I thought the antagonists were better conceptualized than in any other installment, although some story points did seem a little silly.

They teased another sequel, and I’m actually open to it if they keep the same creative team and Bay stays far, far away.

Overall, Bad Boys for Life is a crowd-pleasing good time.

2020 Ranked