'Bad Boys For Life' - Some Old School Comedic Duo Never Die

Almost two decades have passed since the last entry of the Bad Boys franchise, so it's easy to say that the younger generation might not be familiar of them. But it won't be a problem since Bad Boys For Life pretty much established from the get-go, that the "Bad Boys" themselves, Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), are a fun, dangerous, and unpredictable crime-fighting comedic duo, only they're older and questionably wiser.

Photo: Columbia Pictures

It starts with a dangerous threat that emerges to endanger Mike's life which automatically pulls back Marcus in their life as cops after trying to step back and spend more time with his family. But now that they're a little less capable, they're joined by the elite new police unit Advance Miami Metro Operations (AMMO), which has introduced high-tech investigative tactics to the Miami P.D, and let's face it, some fresh spunk, energy & muscle, which brings out a little bit of insecurity from the veterans. The old school versus new school dynamic is highlighted in the guys' dealings with this state of the art. It's noisy and fun, but the mini rivalry rightfully didn't last long.

Old school comedy and action are expected in a Bad Boys film. It's essentially what Bad Boys is about apart from love-hate brotherhood. But what sets this apart from its previous outing is a grounded plot, almost telenovela complete with "bruha", that works and balance the daddy jokes and whatnot. Think of what Empire Strikes Back did to the Star Wars franchise. It's almost the same, except that the additional layer ended when this threequel's end credits start to roll.

In short, it's a complete film with a plot that works only for this film but broadens the background of the titular "Bad Boys". Not to mention, this film is also well-acted. This might be one of Will Smith's best performances, in both comedy and drama. Martin Lawrence, on the other hand, is hilarious as always without trying too hard. Their accustomed theatrics still work to this day, and if we are being honest, we only want this film to be funny and action-packed. And it is. The comedy works and the action blasts. And it's even more. And it's really entertaining.