Movie Review: Bad Boys For Life

"We ride together. We die together. Bad Boys For Life."

As one of the cop buddy franchises I absolutely love, "Bad Boys For Life" - the third installment in the "Bad Boys" film franchise, was a sequel I really didn't think would happen but at long last it did. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reunite as Miami P.D. cop partners and best friends Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey - looking like they NEVER AGED since the last sequel, Bad Boys II, hit theaters in 2003. The original film in itself was released in 1995 - making it nearly 25 years since this hilarious, explosive, and high adrenaline film series started and entertained generations of moviewgoers and now reemerging for the millennial viewership we have today.

Thanks to Columbia Pictures Philippines, I got to see the film a few days before it opened in theaters, and I will tell you now if you are a fan of the first two films - MIKE AND MARCUS STILL GOT IT! I was concerned how the plot would carry over following the insanity Michael Bay put us through in the first two films, but this threequel very much entertained me  - and it all boils down to chemistry and progression now that these guys are a little past their prime and older... But not necessarily wiser either thanks to their gangsta style shenanigans.


BAD BOYS FOR LIFE - Official Trailer
Set 17 years after the events of the last film, "Bad Boys For Life" sees Mike and Marcus still serving in the Miami P.D - with the former stylin' and profilin' as always while the other contemplates retirement especially after becoming a grandparent. However both best friends are drawn to a new cycle of crime and intrigue, as someone starts systematically targeting people Mike used to work with in an old case. As shots are fired and skeletons begin coming out of closets, both friends must reevaluate each other's own character and come together as "Bad Boys" to solve the problem and save the day once more.

As a longtime fan of these kinds of action films, "Bad Boys For Life" surprised the heck out of me and allowed the franchise to get a breath of freshness to reemerge in a film market that has vastly changed in the decades since the series started. Will Smith and Martin Lawerence are the key to making these movies work, and it helps to have new stories to tell that propel their lives forward, as well as working with familiar faces like Joe Pantoliano returning as Captain Howard and new blood in the form of Vanessa Hudgens, Paaola Nunez, Kate del Castillo, and Jacob Scipio joining the cast. While Michael Bay does not return to direct the threequel, duo directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are more than up to the task and bring on the fun, laughs, and high octane drama and action we've come to expect and a whole lot more. In fact, one old joke from the second film had a pay off in this sequel, and if you're curious about what that is here is a featurette on it:


2020 just started and this is one of my favorite movies of the year already. You know when something's good you shouldn't stop, and a new series of films should be made after this.

Bad Boys For Life is now showing in theaters courtesy of Columbia Pictures Philippines.

Rating -5/5

Movie Review: Transformers: The Last Knight

If there's one truth that's certainly consistent about Michael Bay and his vision of Hasbro's popular "Transformers" line, it's that fans and viewers should already separate what is depicted in the filmmakers movies and the ones featured in other forms of media - most especially the iconic "Generation 1" characters that brought the entire franchise to life in the 80's. So it comes as no surprise that Bay's fifth and supposed final entry into the series, "Transformers: The Last Knight", is supposed to cap things and bring answers to the saga that began in 2007 which starred Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky. However after the events of 2014's "Transformers: Age of Extinction", Mark Wahlberg is now the lead and plays the Autobots new ally Cade Yeager, and he leads a resistance to defend his robotic friends who are now labeled outlaws alongside their immortal enemies the Decepticons by the adopted planet they call home. Optimus Prime has gone missing since leaving to find the Transformers' creators and why they keep coming to Earth to invade... And thus this film is supposed to answer that question and the "Secret History of Transformers" and their ties to Earth.

Transformers: The Last Knight – Trailer
What follows however is a film that puts too much into the plot and leaves a lot less of Prime out of the equation. Long story short, the Transformers have played a part in Earth's history since the medieval ages - tying into King Arthur's reign as king of Camelot alongside the Knights of the Round Table. That along with the knowledge provided by Anthony Hopkins' character Sir Edmund Button puts Cade on a journey where he must save the world from a devastating force that threatens to end mankind. Prime meanwhile is swayed under the influence of the creator known as Quintessa - who created the Cybertronians and puts the planet on a collision course with Earth. Megatron reemerges and plans to see that he and his fellow Decepticons return home, while the Autobots remain steadfast to defend their new home and their allies. The final battle sees the line between hero and villain blurred as two worlds collide and one hangs in the balance.

Truth be told, Transformers: The Last Knight was alright but is a complete mess plot wise. It was something that had a lot of potential story wise, yet has too much going inside of it to give any catharsis or satisfaction to its target audience. It definitely continues what Bay started and has all the CGI action and explosions one can expect from the franchise, but as his supposed final bow as director it leaves a lot to be desired and could have been better. The fact that there was less Optimus Prime to see and more on the human aspect was something that everyone has seen already in the past four movies, and leaving things open ended means that there are plans to continue with no end on sight. Hopefully a course correction happens in the next sequel Paramount Pictures and Hasbro plan as they expand their Bayformers series towards future follow-ups and spin-offs.

Transformers: The Last Knight was released last June 21 and is currently playing in theaters.

Rating - 2/5