Bad Boys, Bad Boys...Bad Boys I & II...whatcha
gonna do when they come (to a theater near) you?The answer is: see
it! That is, you'll see it if you like action comedies that will
blow your socks off. As far as summer blockbusters, this one
arguably has the most going for it. It's got great gunfights.
The car chases are spectacular. It's got good laughs. Good
acting. Good chemistry between the actors. And, in terms of
bang for your buck, Bad Boys II can't be beat: the film clocks in
at over two hours and twenty minutes.
This film features most of the cast from the original (minus Tia
Leone and all the dead bad guys). Will Smith and Martin Lawrence
are back, and this time they get to take on evil drug dealers...oh wait,
that's what they did last time. But this time, the drug
dealers are really really evil. Actually, this time the lead drug
dealer is shown as a momma's boy and a devoted, doting father...but
still, he's a bad, bad man.
Thrown into the mix this time around is the smokin' hot love
interest/sister (love interest for one character and sister to another
character, not both for the same person, because that would be really
a bad boy) Gabrielle Union.
Bad Boys II also features the return of Joe Pantoliano and the
other supporting cast (even former NBA player John Salley). They
all do fine jobs. Pantoliano brings more to the role this time as
the constantly freaking out police captain. Though steam doesn't
actually ever shoot out of his ears, you get the feeling that it could
at any moment.
The movie features great stunts. The gun play is the best
that's been captured on screen in quite a while. The physical
stunts and falls (with people being blown up and thrown through windows)
are impressive and "Ouch!" worthy. This seems to be the summer of
big spectacular car scenes: first Matrix Reloaded, then
Terminator 3, now Bad Boys II. The car stunts in this
film are amazing, as you may have seen in the trailer. They
combine real car stunts and computer graphics, and for the first time
ever, the effects are seamless and jaw-dropping. The Masked
Reviewer couldn't tell what was real and what was computer generated.
It's surprising that this would be the movie this summer to have the
best use of special effects, but they look amazing.
The camera work is impressive at times. The long, spinning
shots are kind of cool, and Michael Bay has very much captured the look
and feel of the first film. The cinematography is nice for this
kind of film. The spinning camera goes a bit overboard once in a
while, especially during a gunfight where the camera continually spins
around...it gets to be a bit too much.
The use of Ecstacy is glamorized in the film...in the beginning
during a nightclub scene, all the really attractive people are doing it,
and they get turned on and look even sexier. There is more
glamorization of the drug later in the film, but if people are going to
be dumb enough to try it because of what they saw in Bad Boys II,
they won't get much sympathy from the Masked Reviewer.
Martin Lawrence may have put on a few pounds since the last Bad
Boys. While Will Smith runs around in tank tops and
occasionally with no shirt on at all, Martin Lawrence keeps covered up.
Not that the Masked Reviewer has any desire to see Martin Lawrence
without his shirt on, but they both ran around showing off their hard
work with their trainers in the first film. Then again, Martin
Lawrence is the kind of versatile actor that likes to put on weight if
he feels it helps the character. It didn't, but that's not the
point.
This film may be a bit intense for some viewers. There's a lot
more graphic violence than the first film...a whole lot more. Some
scenes may disturb delicate viewers. There is a scene of animals
having sex. There are scenes with dead bodies. There is a
bit of nudity. The language is harsh. And people get blown
away and blown into pieces. But, it's all in good fun.
This is a fine summer blockbuster. It's a rollercoaster ride,
with plenty of laughs and exciting action. Even though it's a
long-ass movie, it's filled with entertaining stuff. There are no
deep statements about the world, and it doesn't try to be anything more
than a fun action movie, and on that scale, it succeeds brilliantly.
The chemistry between Smith and Lawrence is fun to watch, and Bad
Boys II doesn't fall into the common pitfall in Hollywood to overdo
in the sequel the things that made the first movie great.
The Masked Reviewer isn't sure why they didn't call it Bad Men
instead. One of the great mysteries of life.
If you like action-comedy with a bit of a hard edge, you'll have a
blast at Bad Boys II. If you hate evil drug dealers, this
movie is for you. If you enjoyed Bad Boys, you're almost
sure to enjoy Bad Boys II even more, unless you're Tia Leone or
her family. It's Maskalicious. Bad Boys II is like
Titanic except with humor, action, and black people. Bad
Boys II is a wild ride. It's ba-blam!
It's hard to believe it's been eight years since the first Bad
Boys, and hopefully it won't be that long until the next one.
Expectation from the Title: The second part in the trilogy
about detention hall. Watch as little Henry writes "I will not
chew gum in class" five hundred times on the chalkboard, in real time.
Mother's Rule (Always Say Something Good About Everything):
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence seem to get along very well with each
other.
The Pros: Good laughs, good action, good stunts, good acting.
The Cons: It's a long film, though it doesn't feel long (until
you stand up).
Box Office Prediction: This could be a big hit.
The Masked Reviewer sees a $50 million opening weekend, and US Box
Office totals in excess of $160 million.