OPINION: 'Bad Boys For Life' Is The Best Film In The 'Bad Boys' Franchise

Sweeping declaration - Bad Boys For Life is the best film in the Bad Boys franchise. 

Big statement, yes, but I stand by it. Like most fans of the buddy cop action comedy franchise I was asking the same questions: Is there any point to this? Has too much time passed? Does Will Smith really need another so-so film release? 

Don't forget, a third Bad Boys film has been talked about for over a decade and Martin Lawrence himself said it took so long because "the script wasn't right". While the original Bad Boys got a decent response following its release in 1995, critical reaction to Bad Boys II in 2003 was average... and that's being generous. But somehow, 17 years later and in 2020, Bad Boys works. And it works damn well.

READ MORE: A Fourth 'Bad Boys' Film Is Already In The Works!

17 years later, the bad boys are back

One of the biggest talking points in the past about whether a third Bad Boys film could work is the age of Smith and Lawrence and if it would be a hindrance to the kind of film Bad Boys is. Ya know, running, jumping, car chases, fighting drug kingpins, explosions. All the shit you'd expect in a Michael Bay feature (who helmed the first two Bad Boys). 

In 1995 when the original came out, Smith was 27 and Lawrence was 30. Today, Smith is 51 and Lawrence is 54. Rather than flatly ignore that, Bad Boys For Life leans into it and then some.

Smith & Lawrence in 'Bad Boys' - 1995 (pic via Facebook)

Smith & Lawrence in 'Bad Boys For Life' - 2020

Bad Boys For Life kicks off with Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) becoming a new grandfather and excited about impending retirement, while Mike Lowery (Smith) is going through a midlife crisis of sorts and reluctant to accept where he's at in his career - "I'm gonna be chasing down criminals 'til I'm 100" he tells Burnett who wants to stop being bad boys and become "good men".

First of all, despite it being 17 years between drinks, Smith and Lawrence haven't missed a beat. The chemistry that made Bad Boys so great is not lost. Their laugh-out-loud back and forth banter constantly keeps you guessing as to whether what you're watching is straight from the script or off the cuff. 

After calling time on his career, Burnett is dragged back in with Lowery "one last time" to take down a cartel mob boss... but that's all I can say without spoilers.

There's a new, younger crew that they're assigned to work with - AMMO - a group of hot shot millennial cops that constantly poke fun at the age gaps. There's team leader Paula Núñez, Charles Melton (Riverdale), Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical fame (once a wildcat, always a wildcat) and Alexander Ludwig who turns in a genius performance as the jacked-but-strictly-tech-guy member of the crew.

Meet AMMO - Charles Melton (left) and Vanessa Hudgens (right) 

Full disclosure: there are some over the top, ridiculous AF action sequences. There's 51-year-old Smith in a hotel rooftop fist fight. There's 51-year-old Smith chasing down a perp on a motorcycle comfortably fitted with a side car. There's 51-year-old Smith dangling from a ladder on a helicopter above the ocean by one arm. Are there some corny one liners? Sure. Is the 'Ride together, die together' schtick said maybe one too many times? Probably. But that's always been the fun of Bad Boys. If you're walking into the third Bad Boys film not expecting some outlandish shit, then you obviously haven’t watched the first two.

Maybe it's the script, maybe it's the performances, but Bad Boys For Life feels more real than it ever has before. Perhaps it has something to do with Michael "Let's blow up everything" Bay stepping aside to make way for new directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (FX series Snowfall and 2015's Black). These guys are also rumoured to direct another huge sequel in Beverly Hills Cop 4 and after seeing this film, your nerves should calm down for at least a little while if it happens.

For all of the action, Bad Boys For Life delivers a genuine story focused on two detectives at the back end of the careers wanting vastly different things. There's a welcome return from Joe Pantoliano as Captain Howard (there's just something about hearing that high-screeched "What did I say?!" that just makes you smile), Theresa Palmer as Burnett's wife Theresa and a glorious cameo that will make you burst out laughing when it happens.

WHAT DID I SAY?!

Now, there may be one part in the film that you'll either absolutely get on board with or lean back in your chair, smirk, and mumble "that's dumb", but honestly you'll be having way too much fun to care at that point.

I wrote a piece late last year about the sequels coming this year from old Hollywood franchises - Bill & Ted, Top Gun, even Eddie Murphy will be back in Coming 2 America. Bad Boys For Life is the first off the rank for 2020 and it genuinely has made me way more optimistic about what 2020 has in store.

Fans will love it. Casuals should easily get a kick out of it. And if they don't.. whatcha gonna do (whatcha gonna do when they come for you?).

Bad Boys For Life is screening in cinemas across Australia from today.