When I think back to the mid 1990s, I remember how distinctive the action film genre was. Yes, there were chases and explosions, as expected, but there was a certain comedic charm and overall look that made this era unique. Perhaps, seeing these movies through the eyes of a teenager made the experience more special. What if this were 1995, right now? What would a film like “Bad Boys” look like to me today? Low and behold, the latest in an apparent cash-grabbing sequel is upon us, in the form of “Bad Boys for Life.”

Thankfully, the franchise has, at the very least, retained its most important players, which we have come to enjoy in its previous entries, including: Will Smith (“Gemini Man”) as Mike Lowrey, Martin Lawrence (“The Beach Bum”) as Marcus Burnett and Joe Pantoliano (“Happy Anniversary”) as Conrad Howard. As is to be expected, particularly in an action movie, the primary characters, the protagonists in this case, possess story depth. Everyone else is mainly static. However, the typical characteristics of an antagonist take on an interesting twist, when the story is all said and done. My only issue is that it all seems to come out of left field, like it might have been tacked on, per request of the movie’s producer(s), perhaps.

From the onset, it becomes clear what the filmmakers are trying to do with this sequel. However, when the first misdirection occurs, the rest of them become increasingly obvious and the “surprises” suffer from a regressive pay-off. Speaking of the moviemakers, there are two directors listed on the credits for this project, whom I believe are relative newcomers to the industry: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. They were joined by an experienced team, not just in its list of producers, but for the screenwriting process, as well.

One aspect that I enjoyed was seeing something of a personal response between the titular characters. Smith and Lawrence, undoubtedly, have remained good friends over the past 25 years or so and their on-screen chemistry was very evident. The writing seemed to be tailor-made for their relationship and I was pleasantly surprised, particularly by Lawrence’s performance. Some details, which are so important to the human condition, have been glossed over, in modern film. I was happy to see some of those details in this movie.

While I cannot say that there was anything especially memorable about the action sequences in this film, it actually did not matter. I might even go so far as to say that this follow-up was more of a character-driven story, rather than a plot-driven one, at least for three-quarters of the movie. I feel I should mention the participation of the audience that I was surrounded by, during my viewing. I was puzzled as to why we were all required to turn in our cell phones to the security personnel, prior to the show, and nothing about my experience, thereafter, led me to believe that this was really necessary, to begin with. Everyone was respectful of the film, laughing at all the right moments and remaining relatively quiet, elsewhere. It was as though most of us there were true fans of the franchise and were invested in a positive way.

The secondary cast held its own, in certain spots, but aside from the mother/son duo, represented by Kate del Castillo (“El Chicano”) as Isabel Aretas and Jacob Scipio as Armando Armas, they do not leave the same, lasting impression, overall. In some cases, it is more of a “who’s who” of the entertainment industry, although no one does any harm to the story. In fact, they all seem to blend in so well together that they become something of a collective blur. Maybe that is not such a bad thing, after all.

The film wraps up very quickly, which is in keeping with the pace throughout most of the movie. I feel that the, now, trilogy has a nice little “bow” on it and should not linger beyond this new installment. However, if the movie makes a substantial profit, which I think it ought to, we might never know if there is truly an end in sight. Sequels hardly seem to close the door anymore, these days. The people behind the making of the films leave the door open, so that it can be explored, later on, without the issue of filling in any holes or gaps, created by a time lapse or previous plot detail.

I wondered why “Bad Boys for Life” was released so early into the year and not reserved for the summertime. Perhaps, someone involved was unsure about how this project would perform, but now they might be thinking twice about that decision. I, personally, enjoyed this movie and even though I think it will be much more attractive to fans of the former chapters, it is not a requirement, which definitely works in its favor. Still, it is very early into the year and there is very little about the film that makes it, quote-unquote, “new.” All I can add is that if this is a taste of things to come, 2020 could be quite a year in the realm of movies.

Directors: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah

Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Will Smith and Doug Belgrad

Screenwriters: Chris Bremner, Peter Craig and Joe Carnahan

Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens as Kelly, Alexander Ludwig as Dorn, Charles Melton as Rafe, Paola Nunez as Rita, Kate del Castillo, Nicky Jam as Zway-Lo, Joe Pantoliano, Theresa Randle as Theresa Burnett, Jacob Scipio, Massi Furlan as Lee Taglin, Michael Bay as Wedding MC and DJ Khaled as Manny the Butcher

Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing

Release: January 17^th, 2020