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Why Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Is a Disappointing Sequel – A Review
(15) 115mins
★★☆☆☆
4The Disappointment of Bad Boys: Ride Or Die
THERE’S something to be said for casting a film with actors whose private lives are more interesting than the car chases or gun battles they play out on screen.
A look at the Lives of Will Smith and Ioan Gruffudd
That is what I thought when watching the scenes between Will Smith and Ioan Gruffudd.
The former, whose Oscar slap caused an avalanche in his life so ferocious that his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, revealed they had been separated for seven years.
And the latter with scorned ex-wife, Alice Evans, pegging out his dirty laundry on Twitter.
So it would need to be a seriously enthralling movie to distract me from remembering their real stories.
Plot of Bad Boys: Ride Or Die
Sadly, this fourth film in the Bad Boys hugely successful franchise was not it.
This sees the return of Miami cops Mike (Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence), once again, fighting crime with their special version of sweary slapstick.
Marcus suffers a heart attack and has an out-of-body experience, meeting dead boss Captain Howard, who whispers guidance in his ear about the future — and the crimes that they are about to fight.
Marcus then returns to his body in a hospital bed and goes on a quest to show Mike he is now invincible.
He teeters on the edge of tall buildings, plays chicken in traffic and tries to stroke an alligator.
All of these are delivered with such painstakingly slow “jokes” that it feels like swimming through treacle to reach the “punchline”.
The Mission of Mike and Marcus
The duo’s job this time round is to clear the name of the late Captain Howard, who was framed by Eric Dane’s mysterious villain.
They ask for the help of Mayor Lockwood (Gruffudd), and cop pals Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens) and Dorn (Alexander Ludwig).
Action and Humor in Bad Boys: Ride Or Die
Humour aside, there’s plenty of action to keep fans entertained.
Directors Adil & Bilall throw everything at it with computer-game-style gun battles and airborne fist fights.
The death count is high — as is the ridiculousness of the entire situation.
Overall Impression of Bad Boys: Ride Or Die
The format is dusty and less desirable than the sleeker, scarier first outing of the duo in 1995.
I could have done with some angry ex-wives to keep me interested.
Film news
THERE will be a Peaky Blinders movie, starring Cillian Murphy, to be made for Netflix.
ELLE Fanning stars in the next Predator film, called Badlands.
WILLEM Dafoe plays an “afterlife crimes” cop in Beetlejuice 2.
Food, INC. 2 – A Glimpse into Corporate Consolidation in the Food Industry
(12) 94mins
★★★☆☆
4Overview of Food, INC. 2
WHILE the subject is worthwhile and the topics raised are not unappetising, this sequel to the 2008 Oscar-nominated documentary does taste rather dry and overdone.
Corporate Consolidation and Sustainability
In fairness, it isn’t simple to inject some sizzle into the subject of corporate consolidation in the food industry and a system set up to simply generate cash.
Technological Innovations in Food Production
The makers have done their best to show the futuristic ways inventors are trying to make what is on our plates more about sustainability than profitability.
Issues and Solutions in the Food Industry
“A lot is at stake when you sit down to eat,” and here that includes workers’ and farmers’ rights, legislation and, of course, the monetary bottom line.
Future of Food Production
Forward-thinking start-ups have invented alternative meat products, such as synthetic chicken breasts, that apparently taste just the same when fried in a pan.
Efforts toward Positive Change
Meanwhile, US senators Cory Booker and Jon Tester try to inspire change by altering laws affecting corporate production and employee welfare.
Conclusion of Food, INC. 2
Directed by Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo, this will certainly raise awareness about what is in your fridge and how it got there but may not leave you feeling completely sated.
The Watched: An Intriguing Debut Film by Ishana Night Shyamalan
(15) 102mins
★★★☆☆
4Riveting Plotline and Performances in The Watched
THERE is much talk of nepo babies in Hollywood these days.
Parental Talent – Nature vs. Nurture
But do the spawn of the rich and famous ever have their parents’ talent?
Daring Debut by Ishana Night Shyamalan
Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of Sixth Sense director, M. Night Shyamalan, shows in this directorial debut that she certainly has her dad’s love of a thrilling twist.
Mysteries Unveiled in The Watched
After a first scene showing some very dark-goings on in woods in Ireland, we meet Mina (Dakota Fanning) who is working in a pet shop.
Unraveling the Forest’s Secrets
She is asked to deliver a parrot to a client, but soon stumbles across the woods – a place where time and logic goes out of the window.
Rules and Intrigue in The Watched
There, she has her life saved by Madeline (Olwen Fouere), Ciara (Georgina Campbell) and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan) who have been trapped there for months.
Chilling Climax and Promising Start in The Watched
They teach her the strange rules, which involve standing in front of a glass screen for hours to be watched by the terrifying souls in the forest after dark.</