Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Blu-ray Review)
Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is the 4th outing for detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowery. Their wild adventures have driven their superiors crazy and thrilled audiences for nearly 30 years. The bad boys are ageless and their teammates make them work harder and seem younger by comparison. With some new stakes on the line, including ideas of reputation and aging, the pot is being stirred once again. Catch up with Marcus and Mike below and be sure to click the cover art to get your own copy of Bad Boys: Ride Or Die.
Film: 
The world’s favorite Bad Boys are back with their iconic mix of edge-of-your-seat action and outrageous comedy, but this time with a twist: Miami’s finest are now on the run. When Captain Howard is unjustly accused of a lifetime of drug-related crimes, the Bad Boys vow to clear his name.
Marcus and Mike are in different places 4 years after their last big case. With Mike’s son securely imprisoned and Marcus no longer craving retirement, the film opens with them speeding to something important. What you ask? A wedding – Mike’s wedding! He’s finally settling down and nobody could be happier than his boy Marcus. At the wedding reception, having too much fun, Marcus suffers a heart attack. When he awakens, Marcus feels like the visions he had while unconscious have somehow made him invincible. He’s ready to go out and kick some butt! He feels great, but his wife and family are worried for him and even Mike wants Marcus to chill out.
After the lighter moments and Marcus’s health scare, we learn that Captain Howard may or may not have been involved with the drug problems he was fighting against his whole career. We know it’s not true right off the bat, but of course corruption seems to run rampant in the new Miami PD. Gathering the team from the last big case and finding ways to defend themselves from further accusations of their own involvements in these drug related crimes, Marcus and Mike fight tooth and nail to clear themselves and get some order restored in their hometown.
The premise for Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is simple. It’s been seen before too. The flip side of that statement is that I doubt it’s always been done this well. The directing team of Adil and Bilal continue to bring a freshness to the Michael Bay formula by keeping the action and comedy fast and loose without things going overboard or being to the point of annoyance. The duo of Lawrence and Smith are still exceptional bouncing off one another. Whether they’re trading barbs or being vulnerable it’s a joy to see them together. The supporting cast of characters, including Mike’s long-lost son all bring some more depth to the film and a few opportunities to find laughs from others besides our main heroes. Bringing back Captain Howard one more time seemed ridiculous at first, but the way he has returned is subtle and thoughtful and honestly who doesn’t love to see Joe Pantoliano do anything? We need to protect that man at all costs!
The look of the film and the tone are handled very well too. Miami looks amazing in the film and the storyline treads the comedic and the serious very well without tonally being all over the place. This is always going to be refreshing to me. The formula that the film follows has been done before, but we go with it because it’s done in such a comforting and complimentary way. The film doesn’t play dumb for its audience. It’s also not providing fan service by bringing back characters from other films – Those that return provide more substance and that is fresh. People who make sequels should take notes from this franchise. Take the good points and not only use them, improve upon them! It’s amazing what can happen when you take care in how you create your sequels.
I was 8 years old when I first saw Bad Boys. I was an R-rated movie pro by that time, watching T2, First Blood, and True Lies, among others. The opening scene, hysterical, was also pretty vulgar. My mother, a woman with a PhD in foul language, made me leave the room after that scene. My brother had ordered the video from Columbia House and so after watching the movie without me, she deemed it OK for me to watch, but made sure I wouldn’t go and repeat the opening scene at school. By the time Bad Boys II came out in 2003, I was nearly out of high school and fully excited to see the film. Waiting until DVD, I was thoroughly disappointed. Overlong and unexpectedly dry on fresh ideas, the film left a bad taste in my mouth.
When Bad Boys For Life for life was announced 17 whole years later, I was worried that the formula would be even more tired. The pleasant surprise of that film was that it was better than the second – funnier, fresher and with better ideas on how to carry the story. Without Michael Bay helming it, the excesses were kept aside, and the film’s entertainment value and cohesiveness made for a fantastic film that was a blast to see in theaters. Bad Boys: Ride Or Die continues that successful new formula. The film is not as fresh as Bad Boys For Life, however the concept is interesting and the action and humor propel the film forward in the best of ways. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith still have an excellent partnership chemistry and their supporting cast mates fill their roles with competence and believability, making the film easy to digest and not a boring exercise in action excess. I only hope that the supposed 5th film can continue to deliver as this 4th entry has.
Video:
Encoding: MPEG-4/AVC
Resolution: HD (1080p)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Layers: BD-50
HDR: N/A
Clarity/Detail: Bested only by its 4K UHD Blu-ray counterpart, Bad Boys: Ride or Die looks excellent on Blu-ray. Details are clean and crisp, and textures on faces and clothing are sharp too!
Depth: Focus remains sharp throughout with interiors and exteriors benefitting from the sharper focus throughout.
Black Levels: Blacks are deep and inky while not as dark as they might be with that beloved HDR sheen over it. Nothing is hurt by crush.
Color Reproduction: Colors are saturated and sunny as the other films have looked. Nothing looks out of the ordinary and the night scenes have lovely lighting that give a brightness that is colorful and complimentary.
Flesh Tones: Skin tones look natural and excellent overall.
Noise/Artifacts: Clean.
Audio:
Audio Format(s): English, Spanish, French 5.1 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Dynamics: Immersive or not, the DTS-HD 5.1 track for Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is loud, busy and bassy. There is nothing that isn’t lovingly recreated here and despite there being an Atmos mix out there, Blu-ray buyers won’t feel any FOMO
Height: N/A
Low-Frequency Extension: Music, car chases, gunshots, fight sounds and explosions are just a few things that the subwoofer spends time working through. The bass is deep and sounds fantastic!
Surround Sound Presentation: Surround channels bring the ambience and amplify the action throughout.
Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue is thoroughly intelligible at all times.
Extras:
The special features for Bad Boys: Ride Or Die are short but sweet. The release ships with a slipcover and a digital code.
- Outtakes & Bloopers
- Deleted Scenes
- Will & Martin Chemistry, Legacy & Laughs
- The Bruckheimer Legacy: Crafting Bad Boys& Beyond
- Fights, Camera, Action
- Partners in Crime
- AN ALL-NEW POST CREDIT SCENE
Summary:
Bad Boys: Ride Or Die does not set out to make waves or bring a new perspective to the series. However, the film is a fun ride with characters you know and love and facing a situation we haven’t seen them face before. Thankfully the formula doesn’t get stale and the chemistry, comedy and kinetic action keep things moving nicely throughout. A couple of surprises here and there (I’m looking at you, Reggie…) and you’ve got a great spring/summer blockbuster on your hands. Fans of the series already know it’s a must buy, and for people new to the series, get the other 3 and then this one! Bad Boys For Life!
