BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE Review

It’s nothing new for a Bad Boys movie to have an overly convoluted plot and too many side characters, but what has remained consistent is how each movie somehow manages to not let those things detract from the centerpiece chemistry between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Four years is the shortest amount of time between sequels in this franchise thus making the latter two films feel as equal in weight as the impressive debut and chaotic classic that is Bad Boys II. Why Bad Boys III didn’t come out in 2009-2010 and why we converted to confounding subtitles rather than sticking with the already established roman numerals I will never understand, but here we are with two very distinct halves of the Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett saga. 

In truth, it would be hard to mess one of these movies up and fortunately all the key ingredients are present with Bad Boys For Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah returning in full "Bayhem" mode employing (and deploying) as many drones to shoot the film as Alexander Ludwig's character does to shoot the bad guys. Screenwriter Chris Bremner returns while Aquaman and Justice League scribe Will Beall joining him to fashion a story around the next phase in Mike and Marcus' already illustrious careers after seemingly working through all the late-stage personal and professional conflicts these two would have encountered as aging lieutenants. 

This is where the real challenge of the film lies though, as up to this point each Bad Boys film was capturing these characters at very different stages of their lives and careers, but as a direct sequel to "For Life" this not only deals in many of the same themes, but picks up certain plot lines directly and carries them through. There isn't anything wrong with this approach from a high-level perspective (though I hope they don't wear out their welcome because this is the only viable franchise both are currently clinging to) but as you get into the weeds of what matters on a story-level one can feel the straining to both find new layers for Smith and Lawrence to explore with these characters while also seemingly trying to set-up the future of this franchise in two successors who have ever met one another and whose chemistry - the necessary chemistry that allows these movies to elevate themselves above other, traditional police procedurals - is untested.

SAN ANDREAS Review

Given the texture of the special effects and the scope of the aerial shots one would not be wrong in thinking Roland Emmerich was at the helm of this latest, big disaster flick. Emmerich, who has directed the likes of Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, has somewhat monopolized the genre as of late, but San Andreas isn't the unrelated sequel to Day After Tomorrow where Emmerich follows another group of people as they deal with another cataclysmic event. Instead, San Andreas is more the love child of something Emmerich would make and the pure, star-driven action adventures of the 80's and early 90's. While you might say those could easily be one in the same Emmerich's films are typically more of an ensemble whereas San Andreas is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's film through and through. So, if not Emmerich, then who? Well, that honor would go to Brad Peyton who has previously only directed two features, one of which was Journey 2 with Johnson who likely vouched for him here. Being compared to the likes of Emmerich certainly isn't a jab though and if Peyton was going to take notes from anyone when making a disaster flick on this scale he would be the obvious choice. To bring this little precursor of a thought full circle and segue into my overall impression of the film though would be to say that Emmerich would no doubt be proud. Now, what Peyton, his actors and his screenwriter (which, oddly enough, is power producer Carlton Cuse of Lost and Bates Motel fame) have done best with San Andreas is to have fun with the kind of movie it is. Naturally, you get what you expect from a movie like this and little more, but the movie is knowing without being completely self-aware as it seems to intentionally lay on the one-liners the audience already knows are coming and has a fair amount of fun with them. The fact I could hear the people behind me mouthing certain lines before they were even spoke speaks to how ingrained in our subconscious these types of films and their beats are. For San Andreas to be able to include and overcome the cliches and archetypes of the genre to deliver a genuinely fun thrill ride is not necessarily something to celebrate, but it's certainly nothing worth complaining about either.

First Trailer for SAN ANDERAS

Folks complain that super heroes and sequels have completely dominated the studio system to the point we rarely get anything else of value outside of awards season. Can't say that I disagree, but at least many of those super hero films we receive have some kind of ambition to them (even if that ambition is more in the world building than the individual films). Today, we have received the first trailer for the next would-be hit action movie from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson were super hero movies not the general rule for action movies these days. Outside of these guaranteed financial wins the action genre feels extremely flat and unfortunately San Andreas doesn't look like it's here to rescue anything other than the fictional victims of its own earthquake. At the beginning of last year The Rock rolled out four movies in the span of four months with Snitch, G.I. Joe, Pain & Gain and Fast & Furious 6 and while that may not again be the case in 2015 with only Furious 7 in April and this film in May I can't help but feel San Andreas will be more akin to the success levels of Snitch rather than any of his other efforts. The film does see him re-teaming with Journey 2 director Brad Peyton (who he will again work with on Journey 3: From the Earth to the Moon) though this looks more like something from Roland Emmerich than the guy who made Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. I can only hope this film contains the self-awareness and flat-out fun nature Emmerich usually includes in his action extravaganzas. Unfortunately, the first trailer makes it look as if this thing may take itself way too seriously. Decide for yourself after the jump. The film also stars Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Archie Panjabi, Ioan Gruffudd, Will Yun Lee, Colton Haynes, Kylie Minogue and opens in 3D on May 29, 2015.