Bad Boys: Ride or Die Trailer Goes Rogue

Movies

The Bad Boys are back. After the infamous Oscar slap, the fourth Bad Boys movie kept a low profile, with many wondering if it had been canceled altogether despite assurances that it was still happening. Today, its existence has been confirmed because Sony has released a trailer for Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The follow-up to 2020’s series revival, Bad Boys for Life, Bad Boys: Ride or Die finds Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett on the run from the law as they try to clear their former captain’s name… and their own. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return as the buddy cops, with Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Jacob Scipio, and Joe Pantoliano back for more as well; they’re joined by Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Tiffany Haddish, and Tasha Smith (who replaces Theresa Randle as Marcus’ wife). Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who took over for Michael Bay on the previous film, Bad Boys: Ride or Die is scheduled to hit theaters on June 7, 2024, and you can see the trailer below:

It looks… like a Bad Boys movie. I’m not the hugest fan of the franchise; I liked the first Bad Boys, and the second was okay (although it had some terrific action scenes), but I still haven’t seen Bad Boys for Life. They two Michael Bay films were not bad, but the leads fight so much that it’s hard to get a bead on their friendship. And their fighting always manifests as them shouting over each other, rarely letting the dialogue find a good rhythm. Jack Cates and Reggie Hammond were volatile towards each other, but their verbal sparring was more measured, and it was allowed to breathe so that we could get a better sense of the characters and how they were growing on each other. With Mike and Marcus, it’s all arguing all the time. The first one is the best because it sometimes uses this to good effect, like in the opening scene where someone tries to carjack them. The scene in the corner store depicted in the Bad Boys: Ride or Die trailer seems to be going for that same theme, and I like that; if they’re going to be arguing all the time, let it be for a purpose. On the other hand, it looks like the Bad Boys movies are getting broader with the comedy, which I wish they wouldn’t; there should be humor, but I’d rather it come from the characters, as opposed to Marcus making silly faces when he slides across glass. However, Joe Pantoliano made me laugh as their captain, who, I take it, either died in the last movie or will in this one (unless it’s a fake-out). Aside from that stupid “woosah” stuff from Bad Boys 2, he’s always funny in these films. I also like the idea of Marcus and Mike having to go on the run; there’s a lot of interesting territory to explore in forcing them to go it alone, stripped of their resources, relying only on their wits and their best friend. Hopefully, this will be a fun action-comedy in the vein of the first one.