OFF THE WALLS INSANITY - BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE Review

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is a 2024 American action comedy film starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The fourth installment of the Bad Boys series of buddy cop films, and the sequel to Bad Boys for Life (2020), it was directed by Adil & Bilall and written by Chris Bremner and Will Beall. Joe Pantoliano, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Jacob Scipio, and DJ Khaled reprise their roles from previous installments. Tasha Smith joins the cast as Theresa Burnett replacing Theresa Randle, who played the character in the last three films. The story follows Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, who are attempting to clear the name of their late Captain, Conrad Howard, after he is falsely accused of conspiracy.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die premiered at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on May 22, 2024. It was released in the United States on June 7, 2024, and has grossed over $104 million worldwide against a production budget of $100 million.
Cast
Will Smith as Det. Lt. Michael Eugene "Mike" Lowrey
Martin Lawrence as Det. Lt. Marcus Miles Burnett
Vanessa Hudgens as Kelly, a weapons expert of AMMO.
Alexander Ludwig as Dorn, a tech expert of AMMO.
Paola Núñez as Rita Secada, Miami PD’s captain and Mike's ex-girlfriend, now dating Lockwood.
Eric Dane as James McGrath, a former U.S. Army Ranger-turned-DEA Special Agent[6]
Ioan Gruffudd as Adam Lockwood, a district attorney, potential candidate for mayor of Miami, and Rita's new boyfriend.
Jacob Scipio as Armando Aretas, Mike's illegitimate son
Melanie Liburd as Christine Lowrey, Mike's newly wedded wife
Tasha Smith as Theresa Burnett, Marcus's wife. Smith replaces Theresa Randle, who portrayed the character in previous films.
Tiffany Haddish as Tabitha
Joe Pantoliano as Captain Conrad Howard
John Salley as Fletcher
DJ Khaled as Manny the Butcher
Rhea Seehorn as Judy Howard, a U.S. Marshal, Captain Howard's daughter, and Callie’s mother, who is hunting down Mike and Marcus.
Dennis Greene as Reggie McDonald, Marcus' son-in-law and a U.S. Marine Master Sergeant.
Bianca Bethune as Megan Burnett, Marcus' daughter and Reggie's wife
Joyner Lucas as a gang leader
Quinn Hemphill as Callie Howard, Captain Howard's granddaughter and Judy's daughter.
Jenna Kanell as Nicole
Michael Bay as a Porsche driver
Khaby Lame as himself
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 63% of 177 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Will Smith and Martin Lawrence remain good company even when Bad Boys strains to up the ante, proving there's still life left in this high-octane franchise." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale, and Deadline Hollywood noted that it was the first installment in the series not to earn an A.Audiences polled by PostTrak gave it a 90% overall positive score, with 84% saying they would definitely recommend it.
The Independent found that the film was "nihilistic, maximalist fun".Variety too was positive about the production and notably certain scenes: "There’s a hypnotic shootout aboard a military helicopter, a crowd-pleasing encounter at an NRA encampment, a rollicking finale at a Florida theme park abandoned by everyone but its crocodiles (...) making yesterday’s overcooked street-smart popcorn seem tastier today than it has any right to be."
The BBC was more mixed, stating, "Critics are sometimes told that we shouldn't analyse Hollywood blockbusters, we should just switch off our brains and enjoy them. Well, not many films are as dependent on our brains being on standby as Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The plot is nonsensical, the grenade-dodging stunts are even more nonsensical, and the internal logic is non-existent: the assertion that Marcus has to avoid stressful situations after his heart attack is forgotten within 30 seconds. But the film is fun enough in its chaotic, grungy, rough and ready way."