By The reviews are in for the fourth “Bad Boys” film “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” with plenty of praise for its stars, less so for the overall film.
On Rotten Tomatoes with 59 reviews counted, the film sits at 69% with a 6/10 average rating. That’s less than the 76% (6.2/10) of its immediate predecessor “Bad Boys for Life” but well ahead of the two Michael Bay films at 44% (5.3/10) and 24% (4.3/10) respectively.
A lot of hope resides with the film’s box-office chances after what has been dismal start to the Summer with multiple tentpole films debuting to soft numbers like “Furiosa” and “The Fall Guy”.
Last week the film was tracking for an opening in the $50-60 million range and a survey showed awareness for it was higher than any other film this Summer.
Deadline however indicated on Monday tickets are not selling as well as they thought and projections are now being revised downwards.
Here’s a sampling of review quotes:
“Despite everything that’s crammed into this one, it’s still nothing without Mike and Marcus. And despite everything that Smith has been through since the previous installment, he and Lawrence will always be our bad boys.” – David Ehrlich, Indiewire
“[Will Smith] is still a very formidable actor and it could be that PR redemption lies in serious work. Pending that though, the Bad Boys are still providing innocent amusement.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“We like our movie junk food amped and familiar. In that light, what could be more comforting than watching the two stars of “Ride or Die” trash-talk each other with the kind of deep-dish disgruntled conviction it takes 29 years to build up?” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
“Collateral damage is often played for giggles — life is pretty cheap in this world, unless you’re one of the good/bad boys. Yet, as with their previous adventures, the two headline stars still have enough charisma together to see this through.” – Anna Smith, Total Film
“There’s a refreshing level of loose-cannon silliness throughout, even if Smith has to straight-man his way through it all like a felon in handcuffs. Lawrence, never a world-beater at comic timing, lands more of his business than you might expect.” – Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
“Will Smith and Martin Lawrence look like they’d rather be anywhere else, and that feeling is infectious.” – Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict
“There are other ways to approach a movie like this. How about making it funny when it’s trying to be? “Ride or Die” makes you pathetically grateful for any comic impulse.” – Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
“The plot’s believability is stretched to the point of emaciation, even for this series. The comedy, which arrives on cue every other scene, is pained. And the action is now a fully cribbed and inferior sizzle reel of Bay’s greatest hits.” – Barry Hertz, Globe and Mail
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” is set to hit cinemas on Friday.
The post “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” Reviews Are In appeared first on Dark Horizons.
