Review: Martin Lawrence steals the show in the surprisingly enjoyable BAD BOYS FOR LIFE

It’s been 17 years since Michael Bay’s deliriously over-the-top Bad Boys II, which was the last time audiences were treated to the action-comedy hijinx of Miami cops Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence). A lot has happened in the nearly two decades since then; Will Smith has mostly moved away from boisterous roles like this, and Martin Lawrence has quietly slid out of the public eye (his last major film was 2011’s Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son). With Michael Bay no longer at the helm, there wasn’t much hope that BAD BOYS FOR LIFE would live up to the comedic carnage of the earlier films, but directors Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi manage to inject some new life in the long-dormant franchise, despite some very silly plot developments.

Right from the get-go, it’s clear that Smith and Lawrence have slid right back into the shoes of these characters; they even (mostly) look the same, which provides the basis for a reoccurring joke about beard dye. While Mike is still content to keep driving his flashy cars and recklessly hunt down criminals (to the constant chagrin of his captain, the scene-stealing Joe Pantoliano), Marcus has had enough of the chaos; he’s ready to embrace the mini van-life and retire to spend time with his family. Like in any good buddy cop movie, he agrees to one more mission to help Mike track down a motorcycle-riding assassin targetting a number of people close to the duo, including Mike himself.

Unlike the “good old” days, Mike and Marcus are forced to work as a team alongside Miami PD’s AMMO division, led by Mike’s ex-flame Rita (Paola Núñez), alongside a number of Millennials including a barely-recognizable Vanessa Hudgens and Riverdale’s Charles Melton. Usually fleshing out the cast of a franchise is a terrible movie (see: nearly every X-Men movie), but the addition of a number of new characters allows for some great chemistry, especially with Mike chaffing at having to work with team members less than half his age.

What really makes the Bad Boys films work is the back-and-forth bickering between Smith and Lawrence; they’re really the odd couple of the action-comedy world, and their banter is a true joy to behold. Martin Lawrence is on fire here; he’s going full tilt throughout and it’s great to have him back on-screen in a major film like this. As a new grandfather, Marcus even has some gravitas; he’s more interested in redemption for most of the film than in furthering the violence he’s been a part of for years.

While the characters work so well together, the plot of this movie gets really out there. In Mexico, Isabel Aretas (Kate del Castillo) is working with Armando Armas (Jacob Scipio) in Miami to orchestrate the series of attacks Mike and Marcus are investigating. Without getting too deep into spoilers, the latter half of the film takes place in Mexico, with story elements so ludicrous that it basically comes across as Bad Boys: The Telenovela (a joke that’s even made in the movie).

With a considerably smaller budget than Bad Boys II, the filmmakers do their best to stage some memorable action sequences here. There’s even a brief homage to the insane highway scene in Bad Boys II where full cars are used as projectiles, and while the action is shot well, you really can’t compete with the utter mayhem of Michael Bay at his prime. That said, the interplay between the characters more than makes up for it; you could simply have Will Smith and Martin Lawrence arguing in a car or two hours, and it would be a great time at the movies.

While the final act of the film is too outlandish for its own good, BAD BOYS FOR LIFE is still a blast. It’s so much better than one would expect given its arrival in the dead of January, which is generally the studios’ dumping ground for drek like DOLITTLE (also hitting theatres this week). Most of the cast of the previous films make an appearance (including a fan favourite that had the preview audience cheering), and the new cast members all bode well for the Bad Boys saga to continue down the road. More importantly, BAD BOYS FOR LIFE is a great reminder of Martin Lawrence’s comedic chops; he basically carries this entire film and his wild energy elevates every scene he’s in. Let’s just keep him away from Big Momma’s House, yeah?

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE is in theatres now.