Review: Bad Boys for Life
I wasn’t expecting another trip to the theater so soon but, apparently, movie tickets are cheaper in Venezuela than they are in France. As such, my visiting friend decided we totally needed to go once again this week; since she’s leaving today, I indulged her on Monday afternoon.
We picked ‘Bad Boys for Life’ this time around– reluctantly on my part, I must add. After the disappointment ‘Dolittle (2020)’ brought, I wasn’t keen on wasting hard-earned money in another underwhelming experience. Joke was on me, I guess.
I’ll start by saying that I had no idea that ‘Bad Boys for Life’ was the third part of a trilogy, neither did my friend. After running a quick google search and seeing the first two movies were rated as average and poor, respectively, I’m glad to have skipped the worst and going straight for the good stuff.
I went in the theater expecting nothing from BBFL, but I came out oddly satisfied.
Now, I’ll start with the bad aspects of the movie…
The Bad
Nothing is perfect, including this movie; there were a few things that rubbed me the wrong way. Now, while it’s true you can count these with a hand, the fact remains they still do bother me.
First, and what made me lose hope in the film before Will Smith’s character (Mike) had time to get a decent scene past the (literally) high-speed intro, was that line said in the beginning when Marcus (portrayed by Martin Lawrence) is holding his grandson on his arms: “Men don’t cry.”
Well, guess what? Men DO cry, Mike; last time I checked, they ain’t robots!
In second place comes the soundtrack, although it has more to do with personal preferences than anything. From an objective point of view, they did a great job setting the mood– it’s just me who can’t stand these tracks for the life of mine. To put it bluntly: I don’t enjoy ‘latin music’ (unless we’re talking about pop– and I mean actual pop, understood?), even though I’m latin myself.
Next we got the CG– everything was great until the last fight scene straight out of the ‘90s. It wasn’t bad per say, but the take was done in a way that made it obvious how fake Isabel’s fall was.
And finally, what took off the most points in my book: the belittlement of therapy in a couple of scenes.
Whoever was in charge of the script, I wanna fight them. Like, it’s okay if there are characters who don’t believe in therapy/don’t think they need it, but don’t use it to dismiss the importance of mental health just because another character does need it. Just don’t.
If you failed to show ‘how much of a badass certain characters are’ thorough the movie, you bet they won’t suddenly become tougher just because they say they don’t need therapy, in a way that seems to make fun of it no less; instead, they’ll look like assholes and the time you spent humanizing them will go down the sewer.
The Nice
Was this movie a cinematic masterpiece? No way, but it was a unique for sure. I was not expecting a film labeled as ‘action-fueled, buddy cop comedy’ go for a thoughtful twist. Like, there are movies that try to make the viewers think and reflect on things, but they don’t get anywhere near that in the end.
Not only it was nice to see, it was well done as well. Someone give a beer both to the Director and the Scriptwriter.
Actually, no, make it two beers for the Scriptwriter. The script flow is smoother than a newborn’s skin. I can’t help but wonder who did this guy sell his soul to? I haven’t seen a well-executed narrative since Into the Spiderverse (hands down THE BEST Spiderman movie ever made). And that’s legendary praise coming from me.
(No, I obviously haven’t seen Parasite or Klaus. Will I ever? Only time can tell.)
The point is, I didn’t know what to expect before, during and even after the movie. Of course, the humorous twists were somewhat predictable, but the actual plot made you wonder what would happen next.
I must add: my friend is the type of person (which I hate) that starts talking in middle of the movie, but she kept herself silent throughout 97% of the film, proof enough that BBFL is at least interesting enough to watch.
Bonus (spoiler-ish):
The cinnamon-roll is both the nerd and ripped guy. Lmao, I know, it seems silly but I personally think it was a nice touch. I mean, for once making the tech specialist someone smart and actually capable of approving the physical exam the police corps have? Shocker.
Also, kudos for allowing Rita, Kelly and Isabel be (not overly, yet not falling into the typical dudette troupe) feminine and deadly. Finally, women roles that didn’t make me roll my eyes since the Amazoness from Wonder Woman (2017). But Theresa is probably the most real woman in the whole movie with her “get out of the house, Marcus”, haha.
The Epic
The visuals. That’s it.
The visuals were undoubtedly the best part, kudos to whoever was in charge of editing and color grading. Hope they got a good paycheck– unless they're the same person of making the trailer.
Seriously, the trailer doesn't do the movie any justice. Don't watch the trailer. It just picked and stitched together random bits of the movie in an attempt to be funny and 'epic' but it goes without saying it totally failed. Instead, it ended driving away potential watchers.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a masterpiece, check elsewhere. But if you’re looking entertainment, you should give Bad Boys for Life a try. It’ll live to the primary purpose of any movie: entertain.
And don't worry, despite being the third part of a trilogy, you can easily watch this film without looking for the first two. If reviews are anything to go by, this movie works better as a standalone, and that I can believe.
Hi airiam,
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Hi @airiam. I find this publication very good and you have very good arguments to recommend it as entertainment. These bad boys are fun and make the audience have a pleasant time while watching the movie.
Obviously, it is not a cinematographic masterpiece. Never!
But cinema should not always be for reflection. It seems to me that the performances are well adjusted and that some visual effects are of high quality.
A cordial greeting