The third installment in the Bad Boys series was released in theatres on Jan. 1. “Bad Boys for Life” continues the story of Miami detectives and partners Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) set 17 years after the second movie.

After witnessing the birth of his grandson, Marcus tells his partner that he intends to retire and end the era of the “Bad Boys,” however Mike does not plan to let Marcus out easily as he sees it as a betrayal of their “ride together, die together” ethos. Challenging his partner to a race, the bet is that if Mike wins, Marcus will not retire and will continue to be a bad boy. Meanwhile, the cold-hearted escaped Mexican prisoner Isabel Aretas (Kate del Castillo) and her ruthless son Armando (Jacob Scipio) are out for revenge for their husband’s and father’s untimely death and have come up with a long list of those who they find responsible and Mike is just one of the names on the list. During the partners’ race, Armando attempts to assassinate Mike. Mike is immediately rushed to the hospital and into surgery where he barely holds on to his life. Six months later, Mike is shown fully recovered and dedicated to catching the assassin who made an attempt on his life and ended his reputation of “Bulletproof Mike.” 

It is discovered that Armando has successfully eliminated every other name that was on his and his mother’s list and that Mike is the only one that is still living. The Mexican duo are committed to making Mike Lowrey suffer, and plan to fight “hasta el fuego.” With revenge still on his mind, Mike approaches Captain Howard who reluctantly brings Mike on board of the investigation as a “consultant” with AMMO. The story continues following the consequences of Mike’s past as well as the consequences of his current actions, as they affect those closest to him.

“Bad Boys for Life” is packed with action, car chases and shoot-outs that keep the audience engaged at every second. With the impulsiveness of Mike Lowrey and the more thought out actions of his partner, there is a ton of comedy to help balance out all of the action that is shown on screen. Mike’s first response is to talk with his fists while his partner’s is to talk with his heart, which leads to a comedic scene when the cops go face to face with an overly strong accountant who tries to harm the duo while they argue about what the best approach to the situation would be. The conversations and encounters between Mike and Marcus often serve to be the most comedic moments of the movie, highlighting the dynamics of the duo’s brother-like relationship.

On the other side, there is also a focus on relationships and love. Family is a major factor for Marcus and the audience is never allowed to forget this as the lovey-dovey grandfather is pictured with a family car, diaper bag and even tears as he cries happy tears over the new elements of his family. While Mike is significantly less of a “family man” compared to his partner, he still has significant ties to Captain Howard, the director of AMMO who is also his ex-girlfriend and his partner. With a greater concentration on character than the first two movies in the series, 

“Bad Boys for Life” also features a variety of known celebrities such as Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games), Charles Melton (Riverdale), DJ Khalid and Kate del Castillo (La Reina del Sur).

During its opening weekend, “Bad Boys for Life” outdid all of its competitors, collecting an estimated $59.2 million, just slightly less than “Bad Boys II” had. With a 123 minute run time, the movie is a blast of action, comedy and relationships as well as entertainment to continue upon the Bad Boys series. The movie seemed to never have a dull moment and always kept the audience waiting for the next line, fight or plot twist and was a nice action movie to watch in theatres. With strong acting performances from Smith and Lawrence, “Bad Boys for Life” is an enjoyable ride from beginning to end. “Bad Boys for Life” can be seen in theatres everywhere.  

Rating: 10/10