Following numerous delays in production and Will Smith’s reluctance to commit to the project, the third installment in the Bad Boys franchise is finally here. The movie is set to premiere on January 17th but will it be as iconic as the previous films? That remains to be seen.
So, what’s the film’s synopsis? Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowry (Will Smith) are no longer working together. This is good for Marcus because the last time he was Mike’s Partner, he was shot in the… ummm… never mind. Anyway, Marcus is now a police inspector while Lowrey is heading another police unit that’s full of young cops that he doesn’t relate to. However, the two are forced to dodge bullets and rolling cars once again when the brother of a former drug lord that they killed years ago seeks revenge. Here are the reasons why we are excited Bad Boys For Life, and why we think the franchise should come to an end.
Excited: The Old Will Smith Will Probably Be Back
I miss the old so and so - this statement is quite common among fans of people in the entertainment industry who are no longer as good as they used to be. To be honest, the Will Smith of the 2010s was way inferior to the Will smith of the 2000s and 90s.
Since 2010, every film he has starred in has failed to impress. Perhaps things would have been different if he accepted the role of Django in Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Nevertheless, the Bad Boys franchise has always been the playground where Smith excels. With the third installment, we likely to see the old Will.
Not Excited: An All-Too-Familiar Plot
In the movie, the two cops will be trying to take down a drug lord known as Armando Armas. Yawn! Come on boys. Haven’t we done this so many times before? Didn’t the previous movie have a similar villain? It did. And he is actually the brother to the current one. Aargh!
Need a better plot? Why not be creative and make it about a North Korean general who is using the Miami drug trade to get funds that he can use to buy other generals in order to overthrow politicians? It’s so easy to come up with better plots. It’s surprising that the screenwriters never even try.
Excited: New Directors
The first two Bad Boys movies were directed by Michael Bay, The thing is, Bay isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite director. His films get more criticism than praise. Bumblebee, the first Transformers film to not be directed by Michael Bay ended up getting very positive reviews. We figure the same will happen with Bad Boys For Life.
Bad Boys For Life is directed by the Belgian duo of El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. The two are not household names in Hollywood like Bay but maybe this is where they’ll make their mark. The future of the franchise largely depends on what they’ll do with the threequel. If the movie is a success, we might just get Bad Boys 9 in 2040. Will Smith will be old? No problem. No problem at all. Ask De Niro and Joe Pesci.
Not Excited: The Timeline Will Force Them To Be Older
Anti-aging technology aside, the timeline will soon force the two to be older cops. Gemini Man proved that it’s possible to make Will Smith look 25 but you can’t ignore the fact the first Bad Boys movie came out in 1995. The two buddy cops just have to age on screen because so much time has passed. And to be honest, watching younger characters get older and struggle to hold guns can be painful. Hello Rambo?
When asked about the future of the Bad Boys franchise, Michael Bay was pretty honest and we agree with him. He said: “Pretty soon, they’re going to be old boys, okay? Pretty soon, they’re going to be retired cops instead of active-duty cops. It’s taken a long time to get that thing going, and I’m not involved in getting it going.”
Happy: Captain Conrad Howard Is Returning
A movie about two wild law enforcement officers never feels complete if there is no police captain to yell at them whenever they cause damage on the streets. That’s what Captain Howard is for. He hates the daredevilry of Mike and Marcus but he also adores them because they are good at what they do.
Howard is played by Joe Pantoliano who is best known for his role as Ralph from The Sopranos. Joe has also played law enforcement officers in over a dozen films. So this role right here is where he feels at home. Be sure to see him asking Lowry and Marcus to hand in their badges once again.
Not Happy: The Original Director Left Due To Creative Differences
It’s never a good sign when a director attached to a project quits even before production begins. This means that there is a power struggle and whichever director comes on board won’t be allowed to make the movie as per their own vision.
A-Team director Joe Carnahan was set to oversee the making of Bad Boys for Life, but he couldn’t agree with Will Smith. He said: “I wasn’t servicing the story that I was really excited about telling, that the studio had green-lit. And again, this isn’t to throw shade at Will. It’s his face on the poster. He needs to do things the way he wants them done.”
Happy: Jerry Bruckheimer Is Still Producing
Whenever you see his name on the screen, you can be quite sure there’ll be plenty of thrills. Bruckheimer’s movies are never short of entertainment. In a career that spans over four decades, Jerry has been involved in some of the biggest action movies ever made.
The King Of Blockbusters is set to return once again as executive producer in Bad Boys For Life. We can thus assume that the formula will remain the same. Lots of car chases, humor, guns and a flashy bad guy to defeat. if the writers and directors do well, the movie should turn out fine.
Not Happy: It Has Come Too Late
The best way to make a franchise successful is to release new movies consistently within two or three years. The Fast & Furious, Mission Impossible and Star Wars movies have adhered to this formula and the results have always been great.
Now consider the fact that the last Bad Boys movie was released in 2003. Someone who was born on the day premiere is now a year away from becoming an adult. The fan interest can not be the same. It will also be difficult to connect the events of the last film with the new one.
Happy: Plenty Of New But Familiar Faces
Gabriel Union won’t be reprising her role as Sydney Burnett because she was given her own Bad Boys spinoff show called L.A’s Finest. There were rumors that the movie would tie into the series but since none of the characters in the series were cast, this is unlikely to happen.
However, Bad Boys For Life will serve us plenty of new faces that we’ve all seen elsewhere. DJ Khaled will have a minor role as Manny The Butcher. Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, and Charles Melton will also have major supporting roles
Not Happy: Mike And Syd Don’t End Up Together
Bad Boys? More like The Adventures Of Bad Boy and Good Boy. Mike Lowry is the only bad boy between the two. He is always pursuing different women and driving like he’s Lewis Hamilton heading for the finish line. Marcus is more grounded.
In the last movie, Mike was dating Syd (Gabriel Union) and their romance was explored vastly. Sadly, Syd is now in the LAPD while Mike is still living large in Miami. Apparently, he also rekindles his relationship with another ex who is heading the AMMO police unit. Not cool! We want Syd. And it’s time to get married, Mike.
