I had given up all hope in seeing a third Bad Boys movie, and yet, here we are. It only took 16 years – double the length it took between the first two Bad Boys movies — for the third one to arrive, but all the anxious waiting disappeared when the first trailer of the movie, Bad Boys For Life, finally hit our laps. Yes, it’s nice to see Will Smith and Martin Lawrence back reprising their roles as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett. It’s also nice to see the movie give a quick callback to one of the first scenes in the original Bad Boys movie.
Well, the first scene of the first trailer in Bad Boys For Life played out similarly, except that Lowery and Burnett are now getting out of a car that we later discover to be a 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S. It’s not exactly a direct hat tip, but the symmetry is inescapable and the comedy of Burnett hitting the fire hydrant with the passenger door is typical of this film. On that end, the opening scene also sets up what ends up being a very entertaining first trailer of the third movie, which includes all the things you’d expect from a Bad Boys movie.
Car chases in enclosed spaces? Yep. Beautiful shots of South Beach? It’s there, too. High-wire stunts and explosions galore? Can’t have a Bad Boys movie without those. Even Burnett’s slightly confusing insistence in always trying to de-escalate any situation makes a return in the third movie. Heck, Joseph Pantoliano returns, too, as the always-entertaining Captain Howard. While we’re here, it also wouldn’t be a Bad Boys movie without a villainous drug cartel serving as the chief foil in the movie. In this case, the cartel is led by a man called Armando Armas, played by Jacob Scipio. Two points of order: there’s actually a Venezuelan lawyer named Armando Armas, though I’m quite sure he’s not involved in the movie. Also, “armas” in Spanish means “weapons.” That should tell you where this movie is headed.
There’s also a scene with Mike Lowery in one of his typical killing sprees, which is then followed by another expletive-laden tirade from Captain Howard. Oh, Captain Howard. I’ve missed you.
The real star of the trailer, though, at least in my eyes, is the 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S. We see it briefly in the aforementioned opening scene, but we also get a good few seconds of the sports car rampaging along what looks like a posh shopping mall. It reminds me of that scene in Bad Boys II with the 2003 Cadillac CTS that Lowery and Burnett carjacked from an unsuspecting Dan Marino. I do hope that the 911 Carrera 4S has a lot of screen time in this movie. It’s always a treat to see the 443-horsepower sports car on the big screen, especially when it’s involved in something as cool as a mall drive-around.
Bad Boys For Life hits theaters on January 17, 2020. In addition to Smith, Lawrence, Pantoliano, and Scipio the movie also stars Vikings’ Alexander Ludwig, Riverdale’s Charles Melton, The Tick’s Happy Anderson, The Purge’s Paola Nunez, and Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical Fame. Michael Bay — he directed the first two Bad Boys movies — isn’t behind the camera for this movie. Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi are the directors of the movie with Jerry Bruckheimer and Will Smith serving as its producers.
Yes, folks. The third Bad Boys movie is a few months away from its theatrical release. It’s been a 16-year wait, but, mercifully, the wait is finally over. Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
Further reading
Read our full review on the 2020 Porsche 911.