Bad Boys II

Moderation has never been a high priority for the explosion-infatuated team of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay, but with this two-and-a-half hour wisecracking, car-crashing, ammo-clip-emptying action sequel, they demonstrate what could almost be described as a talent for not knowing enough to quit while they're ahead. Around the two-hour mark, as nattering Miami cops Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are gearing up for their umpteenth shootout with the henchmen of a Cuban drug lord flooding South Florida with Ecstasy, the flick simply runs out of steam. It's not that fireballs and gunfights drop off, it's that the cumulative effect becomes a mind-numbing din of million-dollar-a-minute overproduction. A sequel to 1995's barrage-of-bullets buddy-cop guilty pleasure, the flick is a 100-mph joyride until it hits the skids. But by the time the finale rolls around, Bad Boys II could have easily had its climax seven or eight times already. Minus a half-hour of plotless fat and a few corpses, this flick could have been a raucous, snazzy, enjoyable over-the-top shoot-'em-up. As it is, however, this bad boy is optional. [Note: DVD extras on this two-disc set include a 19-minute featurette on “Visual Effects,” a nine-minute featurette on “Stunts,” 19 “Production Diaries” featurettes (between two to eight minutes each)--including “Swamp,” “Intersection Shootout,” “A Couple of Cameos,” and “Get in My Office”--seven deleted scenes, the music video “La-La-La” by Jay Z, and six sequence breakdowns. Bottom line: a fairly skimpy extras set--especially for two discs--for a fairly bloated action film.] (R. Blackwelder)[DVD Review--November 16, 2004--Columbia TriStar, 147 min., R, $26.95--Making its second appearance on DVD, 2003's Bad Boys II: Superbit boasts a slightly improved visual image and sharper audio (thanks to the Superbit process's higher bit rate for recording), while also adding a robust DTS soundtrack. Bottom line: if you already own the original special edition, you won't need this--especially as the film itself is disappointing.][Blu-ray Review—Nov. 17, 2015—Sony, 2 discs, 266 min., R, $26.99—1995's Bad Boys makes its latest appearance on Blu-ray, while 2003's Bad Boys II debuts on Blu-ray—both featuring fine 4K transfers and DTS-HD 5.1 soundtracks. Extras on Bad Boys are identical to the previous Blu-ray release, including audio commentary by director Michael Bay, “Putting the Boom & Bang in the Bad Boys” (24 min.), the music videos “Five-O, Five-O (Here They Come)” by 69 Boyz, “Shy Guy” by Diana King, “So Many Ways” by Warren G, and trailers. Extras on Bad Boys II include “On-Set Production Diaries” (68 min.), “Explosive Scene Breakdowns” with storyboard and script excerpts (44 min.), segments on visual effects (19 min.) and stunts (9 min.), deleted scenes (7 min.), the music video “La-La-La” by Jay Z, and trailers. Bottom line: Bad Boys II makes its long-awaited high-def debut in this budget-priced double bill.]