Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back together for the fourth time in Bad Boys: Ride or Die and are now on the run…because Miami.

Is this the movie that theaters are waiting on? Maybe. We’ll just have to wait and see. But anyway, one would think that the film will be one of the top moneymakers at the summer box office.

The film is a direct sequel to Bad Boys for Life with much of the cast returning. Moreover, there are a lot of laughs in every which direction. I have to admit right now that I did not see either of the first two films in the franchise. While I should have rectified this after watching the the 2020 film, I’ll make sure to get on it shortly. It’s just that as a filmmaker Michael Bay can be hit or miss. That being said, if there’s one thing that I do know, it’s comedy. My G-d, there are so many laughs in this one. To say that I could not stop laughing would not be an understatement. It doesn’t even matter if some of the jokes write themselves. The fact of the mater is that they had me laughing and that’s more than enough for me!

As I mentioned earlier, Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are on the run. After learning the late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is facing wrongful accusations, they start searching for the truth. Unfortunately, dangerous people do not want them to find the truth and will go to any means necessary to stop them. The cartel places a bounty on them. That’s not all: the cops, U.S. Marshals, cartels, and gangs are all chasing after them. There is action and comedy in every which direction you look. And the world’s largest albino alligator because Miami. They just had to give Jurassic Park a run for its money, didn’t they?

Even though Captain Howard is dead, he’s still helping the Bad Boys from beyond the grave. His killer, Armando Aretas (Jacob Scipio), has some knowledge that could benefit the case. But again, the dangerous people don’t want anyone finding out. In any event, he’s got a chance at redeeming himself for his wrongs.

Reggie McDonald (Dennis Greene) gets a moment in the sun as a Marine just back from deployment in Yemen. If you’re not applauding, we must have watched different films. Seriously. That’s not the only applause line. There are others but to get into those would be to spoil the film. We certainly don’t want that now, do we?

It’s hard to believe that neither actor knew each other before the Martin star called the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star out of the blue. Here we are, almost 30 years later, and the franchise is still going strong. Despite a global pandemic, there were fewer years between the third and fourth installments than the first and second films. After all, Will Smith grew popular with no shortage of summer blockbusters. Independence Day, Men in Black, you name it. Despite a certain incident, Smith is showing no signs of slowing down. The chemistry between Smith and Lawrence does not miss a beat.

If Bad Boys: Ride or Die marks the end of the franchise, it’s one outrageous high note with so much fun. In the meantime, they are going to duke it out with Deadpool and Wolverine for the R-rated action-comedy that offers the most fun. I’ll be curious to see which one makes the most money this summer.

DIRECTORS: Adil & Bilall
SCREENWRITERS: Chris Bremner and Will Beall
CAST: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nuñez, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Jacob Scipio, Melanie Liburd, Tasha Smith, with Tiffany Haddish and Joe Pantoliano

Sony will release Bad Boys: Ride or Die in theaters on June 7, 2024. Grade: 4/5

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