Summary
For almost 30 years, theBad Boysfranchise has delivered enjoyable, over-the-top, action-packed movies with several repeating factors that have appeared in every film. As lifelong friends and Miami detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) took down crooked cops, criminal syndicates, and drug lords over the course of four films, many tropes and clichés began to appear within the series. With a style and aesthetic set up by director Michael Bay,Bad Boys’ unique appeal was carried forward by directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah for the third and fourth films.
All fourBad Boysmovieshad enjoyable moments, and it was incredible to witness returning aspects such as the series' signature theme song, the types of challenges the characters faced, and even cameo appearances from familiar faces. As a franchise that has grossed over $1 billion at the box office, audiences have consistently turned out to watch Mike and Marcus do what they do best and take out intense foes and get embroiled in epic shootouts and car chases. While certainaspects ofBad Boyshave repeated themselves throughout the series, in a way, this consistently was part of its appeal.
Michael Bay has used this shot throughout his career
The director Michael Baylaid the foundations for theBad Boysfranchise with the first two movies, as it has maintained his signature action-packed style throughout. One significant staple of Bay’s style that has become imbued in the franchise was its camera work and theBad Boys’spinning shot. This epic low-angle camera shot spun characters around and often showcased their heroism as they stood up from the ground with majestic music playing in the background.
The consistency with whichthe spinning shot was used in theBad Boysfranchise and Bay’s work in generalwas highlighted in a supercut video fromScreen Junkies. A memorable instance of thisBad Boystrope occurred inBad Boys IIwhen, after the iconic spin, Marcus Burnett uttered the epic line “sh*t just got real.” With unique camera angles, a panning shot, and a zoomed-in style, theBad Boys’spinning shot made even the most uneventful scene feel grand and profound.
The theme song by Inner Circle predates the franchise
It’s hard to even think about theBad Boysfranchise without its catchy theme tune playing inside the heads of nostalgic viewers. Throughout the franchise, Mike and Marcus have consistently sung the iconic lines, “Bad boys, watcha gon, watcha gon, watcha gonna do?”and this song has become as associated with the series as the over-the-top action sequences it was known for. However, this song far predates theBad Boysmovies and has its own interesting legacy outside of the long-running franchise.
The song “Bad Boys” was actually first released in 1987 by the reggae group Inner Circle, a Jamaican band formed in Kingston in 1968. The track gained widespread recognition as the theme tune forCops, the reality series that tracked the working lives of law enforcers. Through its association with theBad Boysmovies,Cops, and other appearances in commercials and evenThe Simpsons, “Bad Boys” has earned an important place within popular culture.
8Michael Bay
TheBad Boysfranchise, as audiences know it today, would not exist without the film director Michael Bay. As the director of the first two movies, Bay laid the groundwork for the series' appeal, humor, and style and helped turn yet another entry in the well-worn buddy cop genre into a billion-dollar franchise. WhileMichael Bay did not direct any further entries in the series, he has been involved in some way in every singleBad Boysfilm.
While many viewers were disappointed that Bay didn’t return to direct the third entry in the franchise,Michael Bay made a surprise cameo inBad Boys for Lifethat helped carry his legacy into the long-awaited sequel. As the MC at Reggie and Megan’s wedding, Bay’s appearance in the third movie felt like a passing of the torch for the series and signaled his approval of it continuing without him at the helm. TheBad Boysfranchise continued this tradition inBad Boys: Ride or Diewhen Bay appeared yet again, this time as a disgruntled cab driver.
Michael Bay’s Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Cameo Explained
Michael Bay continues his tradition of appearing in Bad Boys movies, as the former franchise director has another cameo in Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
7An Intense Chase & Shootout
No action movie would be complete without an intense chase and shootout scene, and this was a rule that theBad Boysfranchise knew well. Throughout the series,Bad Boyshas consistently delivered over-the-top action sequences as Mike and Marcus found themselves in perilous high-octane situations. From the72-hour race-against-the-clock style ofBad Boys, the drug trafficking scheme ofBad Boys II, and the personal connections inBad Boys for LifeandBad Boys: Ride or Die, every movie in the series has featured intense car chases and shootouts.
TheBad Boysfranchise would not be the same without its intense action sequences from Michael Bay and the talented directing duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Thebest scenes inBad Boyswere often the most action-packed, as Mike and Marcus found themselves in the midst of an epic mansion attack or a highway chase inBad Boys II. Scenes like this were the reason theBad Boysfranchise was so enjoyable to watch all these years and helped keep the stakes high throughout.
6Marcus Burnett’s Spirituality
Marcus’s character growth can be seen throughout the series
One of the things that set theBad Boysfranchise apart from other similar buddy cop action movies was the enduring appeal of its two main characters. While Will Smith and Martin Lawrence had undeniable chemistry as a comedic duo, Mike and Marcus also possessed character traits that made them uniquely interesting as protagonists. One major example of this was Marcus’s increasing spirituality throughout the franchise, which added a lot of humor and depth to his characterization.
While this aspect of Marcus' personality was hinted at throughout the series, it fully came to a head in the most recent release,Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Followinga heart attack that put Marcus in a coma at Mike’s wedding, Marcus was greeted by a vision of the late Captain Howard, who told him it was not yet his time to die. This vision heightened Marcus’s already strong spiritual side as he hilariously told Mike that they had already been alive on this earth and that, in his past life, Marcus owned Mike as a donkey.
5Miami
While some action franchises, likeJames BondorMission: Impossible, were not rooted in any specific location,Bad Boyshas always kept its Miami setting as a central tenant to the series. As two detectives in the Miami Police Department, Mike and Marcus’s police work always had some connection to the city, and the establishing shots and aesthetic of the series had a strong Miami feel to them. Much in the same way thatLegal Weaponand theFast & Furiousfranchises laid their foundations in Los Angeles, viewers will always associateBad Boyswith Miami.
However, that’s not to say the series doesn’t ever venture outside the confines of that city, ascharacters have been seen everywhere from Guantanamo Bay to Mexico City. But even when the policework of Mike and Marcus has them traversing the globe, the core tenants ofBad Boyshave remained in Miami, and the city has been central to every film in the series. Miami groundedBad Boysinto a particular setting and, with this, gave it a unique visual style.
4A New Villain Is Faced
Another thing that setBad Boysapart from other action franchises was its lack of an overarching antagonist, asMike and Marcus consistently faced new threats in each film. While a consistent main villain can help add depth and stakes to an action franchise, the new foes that were faced in each movie allowed every installment to be enjoyed on its own merits without the need to consistently recap old lore and storylines. While the characters inBad Boysgrew and developed throughout the series, every villain had a unique motivation.
Bad Boysutilized a race-against-the-clock style as Mike and Marcus sought to take down the drug kingpin Fouchet (Tchéky Karyo), while inBad Boys II, they faced the Cuban drug lord Hector Juan Carlos ‘Johnny’ Tapia (Jordi Mollà.) Things got personal inBad Boys for Lifeas the villains were Mike’s ex-lover Isabel ‘La Bruja’ Aretas (Kate del Castillo) and Mike’s long-lost son Armando Aretas (Jacob Scipio.) Finally, Mike and Marcus sought to clear Captain Howard’s name and take down James McGrath (Eric Dance), the former U.S. Army Ranger and DEA Agent turned criminal inBad Boys: Ride or Die.
3Themes of Partnership, Loyalty, and Family
EveryBad Boysmovie dealt with themes of partnership, loyalty, and family, addressing universal emotions through the lens of an over-the-top action comedy spectacle. Mike and Marcus' lifelong friendship was a type of found family, as their brother-like partnership was characterized by intense loyalty toward one another. Although their friendship was continually tested, the duo always came out stronger in the end.
These themes were further compounded in each subsequent film asMike and Marcus' intense bond with one anotherwas further deepened by Mike’s relationship with Marcus’s sister, Christine Lowrey. Mike’s relationship with his long-lost son Armando has also been a major tenant of the latest twoBad Boysmovies, as they turned from enemies into family through the films. Amid all the action-packed sequences inBad Boys, behind each movie were heartfelt moments that highlighted the importance of partnership, loyalty, and family.
Joe Pantoliano’s passionate insults were some of the most enjoyable parts of the series
There have been plenty of great quotes throughout theBad Boysfranchise, and one character who never failed to make audiences laugh was Captain Conrad Howard. As one of the funniest characters in theBad Boysseries,Joe Pantoliano expertly played Captain Howardand continually delivered incredible insults in everyBad Boysmovie. Sadly, this looked like it would come to an end when his character died inBad Boys for Lifeafter he was shot by Mike Lowry’s long-lost son Armando.
However, this was not the end for Captain Howard or his signature insults as he returned via video footage and as a ghostly vision inBad Boys: Ride or Die. While Captain Howard’s role was not as large as in previous movies, he still managed to find time for one of his signature insults as he opened his video message in classic Captain Howard style with the line, “All right, you f*cks.” Never one to mince words, it was incredibly satisfying to see that even beyond the grave, Howard had not lost any of his unique mannerisms.
1Mike and Marcus’s Friendship Is Tested
At its core,theBad Boysfranchise was a buddy cop series and played into many of the tropes and clichés of that genre. The most consistent buddy cop trope was that of its two protagonists' friendship being tested and pushed to the absolute limit. This could be seen in the very firstBad Boysfilm when Mike and Marcus were forced to switch identities, pretend to be one another, and act in ways that could have had a lasting negative impact on both of their reputations.
As lifelong friends, it was hilarious to see Marcus impersonating Mike while speaking to an informant and trying to bring down the drug kingpin boss Fouchet. Instances like this tested the duo’s friendships, and this was repeated in subsequent movies as Mike began dating Marcus’s sister, and their dynamic became increasingly complex. The depth and resilience of Mike and Marcus’s friendship was a major part of the appeal ofBad Boysand was a big reason that audiences returned to the series again and again.
Source:Screen Junkies
Bad Boys
Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett take on dangerous criminals while balancing their comedic, yet strained, partnership. Explosive action, high-stakes drug busts, and personal vendettas drive the Bad Boys franchise, delivering relentless thrills and charismatic performances from Will Smith and Martin Lawrence
