Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is more Slower & Curmugeonly than Fast & Furious, but watcha gonna do?

Belated sequel Bad Boys: Ride or Die swaggers back on to big screen, revving its signature Porsche engine like a mid-life movie crisis that sees the franchise start to face up to its stars’ advancing years and cast glances in the direction of the road travelled by Vin Deisel and family as the Bad Boys start to plan their semi-retirement.

When Marcus (Martin Lawrence) suffers a heart attack at Mike’s (Will Smith) wedding, he gains a whole new outlook on life. His positivity is put to the test when the late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is implicated at the centre of a criminal drug cartel conspiracy. Embarking on a quest to clear his name, Lowery and Burnett quickly find them on the run and relying on friends and family to clear their names and exonerate their late mentor.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die further mellows the brash bombast that peaked in Bad Boys 2, as Lawrence and Smith turn on the charm to make up for the fact that they’ve lost a yard or two while the movie wisely expands its roster to bring in a younger generation to pick up some of the action slack. There’s an almost soap opera feel to the opening half hour as we’re reacquainted with characters old and new with Rita Secada (Paola Nuñez), newly promoted to captain, alongside Mike’s new bride Christine (Melanie Liburd), Marcus’ son-in-law Reggie (Dennis Greene), AMMO team members Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens) and Dorn (Alexander Ludwig) and even Mike’s murderous convict son Armando (Jacob Scipio) as the film attempts to blend fresh faces with familiar ones, although it does somewhat telegraph the identity of its villain Columbo-style. Just look for the biggest guest star name in the credits and you’ll be right.

The directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, infuse Bad Boys: Ride or Die with a distinctly less jaded visual style, their penchant for drone photography adding a dynamic layer to the action scenes without overusing it to the point of nausea. Their set-pieces are slick and innovative, from a helicopter-based fight scene that whirls and spirals with breathtaking precision (and slyly mocks *that* trailer for The Mummy), to an all-out shootout at a gator farm that snaps and thrashes with chaotic fluidity. The action sequences pulse with life, keeping the attention through the convoluted loops and twists of a plotline that flatters to deceive in its complexity.

Yet, for all its visual flair, the film struggles to keep a hold of its overstuffed plot and abundance of supporting characters. Ioan Gruffudd’s villainous turn, though perfectly serviceable, is a prime example of potential squandered by a script that tries to juggle too much. Newcomers are introduced with a flourish but left to flounder without sufficient backstory or development, while a tacit acknowledgement that this might be the last outing for Lowery and Burnett results in a cavalcade of return cameos from previous Bad Boys movies, including Michael Bay himself.

Humour has always been a strong suit of the Bad Boys series, and the chemistry between Smith and Lawrence remains a highlight, gaining some emotional heft accrued through the years. Their banter crackles with moments of genuine hilarity, and when the jokes land, they land big. The dynamic duo’s spark is as electric as ever and shines brighter now that their reflexes have begun to dim with age.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die brandishes its nostalgia like a Police ID, using it to excuse its shortcomings and emphasise its remaining vitality. It doesn’t quite capture the exuberance of the original Bad Boys or the relentless pace of its first sequel but what it does do is expand the world to incorporate an extended family that could very easily see the series continue with or without its central stars remaining central to the action.

Ultimately Bad Boys: Ride or Die, in title and execution, offers the audience a choice. If you’d asked me when the trailer first hit cinemas, I would have been a confident and cynical “die” but after having a lot of fun watching it, I’ve surprised even myself by being firmly team “Ride”. They’re Bad Boys, Bad Boys. Watcha gonna do?