Movie · 2024 · Action, Comedy, Crime · 1h 56m · R · English
Curator score: 2.3/10 (365.5K ratings)
Miami's finest are now its most wanted.
Overview
After their late former Captain is framed, Lowrey and Burnett try to clear his name, only to end up on the run themselves.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.3/10
IMDb: 6.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.15/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Metacritic: 54
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah
Production
Westbrook, Columbia Pictures, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, 2.0 Entertainment
Cast
Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nuñez, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Jacob Scipio, Melanie Liburd, Tasha Smith, Rhea Seehorn, Tiffany Haddish, Joe Pantoliano, DJ Khaled, John Salley, Bianca Bethune, Dennis Greene, Quinn Hemphill, Derek Russo, Karter Reese Newsome
Where to watch
Hulu, fuboTV
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, crowd-pleasing action-comedy with real visual flair, a few standout set pieces, and strong buddy-movie chemistry. It’s messy and overstuffed, but if you want slick summer spectacle with jokes, chases, and a surprisingly affectionate franchise tone, it delivers enough to justify the ride.
Best for
Viewers who like glossy studio action with comedy banter
Fans of buddy-cop chemistry and franchise comfort food
People who prioritize big set pieces and kinetic camerawork over tight plotting
Audiences in the mood for a crowd-pleasing theatrical blockbuster
Skip if
You want lean, disciplined action writing
You’re tired of sequel escalation and convoluted conspiracy plots
You dislike broad humor or loud, maximalist filmmaking
You need the film to feel fresh rather than familiar
Overview
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is the kind of sequel that knows exactly what it is: a swaggering, overcaffeinated summer machine built on chemistry, noise, and momentum. The plot is mostly an excuse to keep the leads moving through betrayals, shootouts, and increasingly elaborate reversals, but the movie understands that the franchise’s real engine is the banter and the rhythm between its stars.
Worth noting
What gives it lift is the direction. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah bring a surprisingly nimble visual sense, staging action with enough invention to make the familiar feel newly energized. There are moments where the movie leans hard into absurdity, but the best sequences have a slick, propulsive confidence that keeps the whole thing airborne.
Bottom line
It’s also a franchise entry that seems to know how to age with its characters, letting the comedy play off experience rather than trying to pretend it’s still the 2000s. The result is uneven but entertaining, a glossy piece of blockbuster comfort food that works best when it stops explaining itself and just goes for it.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Framesofnick (4★) · 2139 likes
KEEP CAPTAIN HOWARDS NAME OUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH
Kinda like if George Miller’s son grew up in Broward
What a fucking blast. These directors got some SAUCE. There’s some action sequences here that I genuinely was floored by, vfx that was used perfectly to enhance a scene, and camerawork that would make anybody giddy
meanders here and there but when the directors are allowed to go batshit they really go batshit
David Zaslav should be hung for many things but he should especially die for scrapping the Batgirl movie
mariano (4★) · 1928 likes
Reggie nation we’ve been waiting for two decades but our moment is finally here… this is my John Wick.
Joe A (3.5★) · 1584 likes
There’s absolutely zero chance the Batgirl movie was bad.
Podcast Episode 176- Listen Here
Bryan Espitia (4★) · 1486 likes
Reggie Wick had the whole crowd going crazy, scene of the year easily
Sydney🚀 (4★) · 1210 likes
I debated between a 3.5 or a 4 for this but it’s kind of staring me right in the face that this is some of the most fun I’ve had at the theater this year and some of my favorite direction of the year. We are in a really exciting era of action filmmaking where Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah can come out of the woodwork and execute an Olympic level baton handoff from Bay, staying true to the… more I debated between a 3.5 or a 4 for this but it’s kind of staring me right in the face that this is some of the most fun I’ve had at the theater this year and some of my favorite direction of the year. We are in a really exciting era of action filmmaking where Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah can come out of the woodwork and execute an Olympic level baton handoff from Bay, staying true to the… more
2020 · Thriller, Action, Crime · 2h 4m · R · Curator 1.9/10 (427.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, fuboTV
The closest tonal and franchise match: same chemistry, same mix of jokes and gunfire, and the clearest bridge between old-school swagger and modern action polish.
2012 · Action, Comedy, Crime · 1h 49m · R · Curator 5.8/10 (1.8M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, TNT, TBS, tru TV
Fast, funny, and built on mismatched partners, with a strong sense of escalation and a playful approach to genre clichés.