Monday Sequel Spotlight: Bad Boys II

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Bad Boys II
Directed by Michael Bay
Released July 18, 2003

It’s not likely most would consider this as a good film, but as action movies go, it’s pretty satisfying. The first film, in 1995, brought together two occasionally over-the-top comedians and gave them badges. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence actually worked well together, and it was enjoyable to see them take down the bad guys with Tea Leoni at their side. Eight years later, the franchise was back with Gabrielle Union as the new female lead. Much more so than the first film, this one focused on big explosions and all-out action. The plot is not nearly as strong as that of the first film, but it’s still fun, and presented more opportunity for car chases and excessive action sequences. Michael Bay’s reputation back then wasn’t all that much better than it is now since this came after the ill-fated (but not actually so terrible) “Pearl Harbor.” Still, he’s good at blowing stuff up, and there’s a whole lot of that in this film. The action and the comedy balance each other out very well, and this film’s worth a mindless viewing. “We ride together, we die together. Bad boys for life!” Enjoy the trailer above; it’s a perfect snapshot of the film.