Time: 124 Minutes
Age Rating: R13 – Violence, offensive language & sexual references
Cast:
Will Smith as Detective Lieutenant Michael Eugene ‘Mike’ Lowrey
Martin Lawrence as Detective Lieutenant Marcus Miles Burnett
Vanessa Hudgens as Kelly
Alexander Ludwig as Dorn
Paola Núñez as Lieutenant Rita Secada
Jacob Scipio as Armando Aretas
Charles Melton as Rafe
Kate del Castillo as Isabel ‘La Bruja’ Aretas
Nicky Jam as Lorenzo ‘Zway-Lo’ Rodríguez
Joe Pantoliano as Captain Conrad Howard
Director: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah

17 years after the last film in the Bad Boys series, a third movie was made, but helmed by someone other than Michael Bay. Given the number of legacy sequels and their varied levels of success recently, it really could’ve gone in so many ways. That said, Bad Boys for Life turned out surprisingly well. 

One thing that must be acknowledged is that Bad Boys for Life definitely feels sanitized and polished in comparison to the Michael Bay films, and as such feels like it’s missing something. On the other hand, it is more mature, and the series actually shows signs of evolution and not just staying in the past. So the slightly different approach is welcome here overall. The plots in the past two movies weren’t the greatest, Bad Boys 3 does feel like it was trying a little more and the story is a little more cohesive. They also give some character depth and meaning that was honestly surprising, with some great character moments, and especially expands on Mike Lowery (Will Smith). At the same time, it balances the comedy with the drama very well, and it is still hilarious. It very much embraces the silliness from beginning to end and the dialogue can be very funny, mainly between Smith and Lawrence. Despite the differences, it still feels very much like the third installment in the series.

Despite it being 17 years since the last movie, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence don’t miss a beat here. They are on top form and still have perfect chemistry and comic timing, and even play the dramatic aspects quite well. The supporting cast is really good too, with Joe Pantoliano returning, and new additions in Charles Melton, Alexander Ludwig, Vanessa Hudgens and Paola Núñez. The main villains are also good, with Kate del Castillo and Jacob Scipio likely playing the best villains of the franchise. 

Adil El Arbi and Biall Fallah take over as director for the Bad Boys movies. The style isn’t quite at the same level as Bay’s, the level of mania seen in say Bad Boys 2 isn’t here and it is a little toned down. That said, it definitely pays homage to the past movies, while still feeling like they’re doing their own thing. It is slickly directed with some gorgeous cinematography, and there are some very exciting and creative action sequences which have their own flavour and style. Lorne Balfe’s score is also really good and fits the movie well.  

Bad Boys for Life is a surprisingly good legacy sequel to the previous two films in the series, solid, entertaining, well directed, and once again with a reliably great lead duo in Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.