What a strange ride the Bad Boys franchise has been. While it didn't make a huge dent in the box office back in 1995, the first Bad Boys film is now revered by some as one of director Michael Bay's better films. That's not exactly what I believe, but there are some massive fans of these movies out there. I enjoyed one and two for what they were, but I never felt the need to rewatch them over and over. Upon the initial release of Bad Boys for Life, nearly 17 years since the release of Bad Boys II, I decided to revisit the previous two films. I still find them to be very entertaining, but lacking in many other areas. Maybe that's why this review may seem almost too positive for a film like this , but it's been a long time since a franchise has turned itself around this well. Bad Boys for Life picks up in real-time,17 years after the events of the previous film and nearly the entire cast has returned, which was nice to see. Marcus wishes to actually retire this time and the violence is what is keeping Mike going. Due to some unexpected circumstances, a vengeance plot is set in motion, which finds them on the hunt for the Aretas family. With a lot more drama than the last two to really make you care about these characters, this film, in terms of characters and story, is eons better than anything presented in the last two. In many ways, Bad Boys for Life is the Fast Five of this franchise. It took the existing characters that you know from previous films, introduced a new team, made the family and friend aspect very strong, and those aspects in turn just made for a more enjoyable experience. It's still filled with cliches and moments that make you roll your eyes, but if the rest of the movie is well done, sometimes those moments can be likeable. It sounds weird to say this about a Bad Boys film, but I found myself shocked or feeling emotional on a few occasions, due to the plot twists. I didn't expect this movie to connect with me as much as it did, but I had a blast with it. In terms of new direction, it was nice to see Michael Bay stand back and support a new vision. Directed by the duo of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, they presented a film that was not short on action but also felt very laid back in comparison to the previous films, which also worked with the story , as Mike and Marcus are now ageing. Most of their work is on foreign projects that I have not seen, but I may actually seek some of it out.These two guys seem to be very talented behind the camera. I will gladly see another Bad Boys movie, directed by them or anyone else, as long as they stick to this new direction. I didn't bother mentioning Will Smith or Martin Lawrence off the top, because if you're a fan of either of them and like the last two films, then there's no change here. They both share the same charisma and chemistry that they did over 20 years ago and I don't see that going away any time soon. Bad Boys for Life injects drama into an overblown action franchise and grounds it in reality. I can actually see newcomers liking this one more than the previous films and due to some new backstory revealed throughout this movie, the previous two aren't 't exactly necessary, even though there are some great callbacks sprinkled throughout.I would definitely recommend checking this one out, especially if you liked the last two. This is a much better movie than I was expecting.
View more about Bad Boys for Life reviews
