Hey folks, Harry here... Well Fudgehammer just got back from the first test screening of BAD BOYS 2 tonight and it seems he had a blast with it. The word I've heard is that Bay, Smith and Lawrence set out to just have a shitload of fun with this movie and make a fun R-rated action film, and according to Fudgehammer, that's what he did. A little later on tonight, Moriarty is posting the maniacal and evil Mr. Beaks' look at BAD BOYS 2 and from what I hear he enjoyed it for the fun that it was, though I hear that he had... gasp... "smarts" issues here and there with it. Naaaaah... In BAD BOYS 2? Couldn't be. Although, I hear that Jerry Stahl, Ron Shelton, John Lee Hancock, George Gallo, Cormac Wibberly, Marianne Wibberly, Judd Apatow, Ian La Frenais, Todd Robinson, Dan Gordon, Larry Ferguson, Marshall Todd, Tony Gilroy, Ron Bass, Dick Clement, Brian Helgeland and Gregory Allen Howard all took part in the script, so I can't imagine that it isn't genius! Actually, we have to hope that this and T3 do great business in addition to MATRIX RELOADED... for the sake of adult R-rated Summer films... They must succeed. Here ya go...
Hey gang,
The Bad Boys of summer are ready to rock your world. Bruckheimer, Bay, Smith, and Lawrence, the gang's all here. Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay were in attendance tonight in Lakewood for what we were told was the first audience screening of Bad Boys II. I overheard Bay tell a fan that they had tested the first Bad Boys here also. Like the saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it, so Bad Boys II takes us back to sunny Miami where we meet up with cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Bennett. Things don't seem to be too different from the last time we saw them. Lowrey's still too risky for family man Bennett, who wants out of this partnership before he gets killed. One thing Marcus doesn't know is that Mike started dating his sister, Sydnee, played by the lovely Gabrielle Union.
This time the guys are trying to bust a drug ring that every bad dude in Miami seems to have a finger in. They're being attacked on all sides by Cubans, Russian mobsters, Haitians, and the Klan. By the end, they've teamed up with ex-Delta Force members for an all out war.
With a sequel you expect something new or better than the original. Bay delivers. This movie goes up to eleven. Bigger stunts, bigger explosions than the first one, and the comedy is still there. That was one of my concerns going in. Would it be funny too? I haven't found Martin Lawrence funny for a few years now, but he shows he's still got it in this. There's no denying the chemistry between him and Will Smith. Like Gibson and Glover, it's just fun to watch these two characters interact, and they have some hilarious scenes together, most notably one that takes place in a morgue. Smith's Lowrey is definitely harder in this, more of a bad ass and less the ladies man of the first one. Joe Pantoliano also returns as their stressed out, yelling captain.
The movie starts with action, and rarely lets up. With the exception of Pearl Harbor, I've always loved Bay's music video look that he brings to the screen. For this type of summer popcorn movie, he's a perfect director. It's hard to make a car chase new these days, but Bay puts one on the screen that's pretty damn thrilling. I would put this right up there with The Road Warrior and French Connection. The final assault in Cuba goes on a wee bit too long, but the sight of a Hummer careening down a hill, charging through ramshackle hut after hut, made me wonder how long it took to get something like that shot. Judging from the damage on screen, the budget for this film had to be double that of the first one. Bay experiments with moving the camera around a little more too, rather than the MTV style editing he's shown in the past. Inspired by David Fincher maybe? Babes, bullets, explosions, and that glossy look are all his, and I loved it! If you liked the first Bad Boys, I can't see why this one won't knock your socks off. A little grittier than the first one but a lot of fun! This is looking like one of the better summers for flicks.
Until Matrix Reloaded turns me into a puddle of chocolate next week, I'm still Fudgehammer!
