Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Has Screened. See The First Reactions To The Will Smith And Martin Lawrence Sequel
The Bad Boys are back.
You can’t think about the best action films of the ‘90s without Will Smith and Martin Lawrence coming to mind in Bad Boys. The 1995 buddy cop film started a franchise that combined humor, action and plenty of iconic movie quotes that have endured over the decades. Now Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are back in the new sequel Bad Boys: Ride or Die, showing off more of the actors’ A+ chemistry. The fourth movie in the franchise has screened, and those who were able to catch a showing ahead of its June 7 release date are hitting social media with their first reactions.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die sees Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s characters turning their sights on the MIami Police Department in a twist involving legacy character Captain Conrad Howard. Though the captain died in 2020’s Bad Boys for Life, he’s posthumously accused of having been involved with the drug cartel, and our heroes set out to clear his name. Drew Taylor of The Wrap certainly seemed to enjoy it, noting one of the newcomers to the cast. The critic writes:
The outlet Atom agrees Will Smith and Martin Lawrence aren’t merely taking a victory lap with this sequel. The site goes so far as to say this installment is the best in the franchise. In Atom’s words:
Maurice Moyer writes that Bad Boys: Ride or Die checks the boxes of everything you’d want out of a movie in this genre, rating it a perfect 10/10. Moyer tweets:
It’s more than just action and comedy, though, according to Bill Bria of SlashFilm. The critic says directors Adil & Bilall have included emotion to balance the excitement and explosions. Bria’s post reads:
It’s no hot take that Shika Sweetie thinks the second film of the franchise is the best, but fans might be excited to hear that Ride or Die exceeds even that 2003 classic in her mind. She writes:
Owen Danoff of ScreenRant agrees with Shika Sweetie and is one of many to give Dennis Greene props as Marcus’ son-in-law Reggie. Danoff also points out that moviegoers don’t need to be familiar with the first three films to enjoy this one. The critic tweets:
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Entertainment writer Shanelle Genai says there’s no shortage of entertainment when it comes to the fourth Bad Boys movie, and while the emotion is definitely there, Ride or Die is first and foremost about fun. In Genai’s words:
Unfortunately the movie isn’t for everyone. Russ Milheim of The Direct admits it wasn’t his cup of tea, though he notes his fellow moviegoers were having fun and fans of the other Bad Boys movies likely won’t be disappointed.
Those who have seen the other Bad Boys movies likely know a little of what to expect with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s humor and chemistry. Most of the critics seem to agree that Bad Boys: Ride or Die does not disappoint. While we wait for the movie to hit the 2024 movie calendar on June 7, you can refresh your memory on the franchise, with the first three Bad Boys movies being available to stream with a Hulu subscription.
Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.