All films in the “Bad Boys” series ranked

Whoop whoop, that’s what a lucrative franchise sounds like.

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Starting in 1995 as a relatively smaller buddy comedy (not to mention Michael Bay's directorial debut) Bad boys soon became one of the most over-the-top and crazy action franchises of all time. It brought together two of the era's hottest sitcom stars: Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and Martin Lawrence (Martin) as strange Miami cop couple Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett. Much to the chagrin of their Pepto-Bismol-drinking captain (Joe Pantoliano), Lowery and Burnett often find themselves at the center of city-destroying action sequences in their search for criminals.

Needless to say, the first film helped propel both of them into the stratosphere of the big screen. (Bad boys (It's been so long since Lawrence took top honors over Smith.)

Bad Boys II came in 2003, then we waited 17 long years for our favorite destruction cops to return Bad boys for life (2020). During this hiatus, Bay left the franchise's helm to directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (hereinafter “Adil & Bilall”), who returned for 2024 Bad Boys: Ride or Diewhich is now streaming on Netflix along with the first and second episodes.

Rest assured, there's still plenty of Bayhem left: the sequels have only maximized its visual style, and Bay made fun cameos in the final episodes.

Here are all four Bad boys Films, rankings.

4. Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)

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While Ride or die isn't a complete failure, he has a hard time finding each other's energy and, shall we say, purpose Bad boys Films. In fact, it basically turns the franchise into Fast and Furious in everything but name.

The plot is skillfully filmed and Lawrence is very good, but Smith seems to emphasize this and you can feel the film teetering unevenly as it tries to balance old characters with the new additions to the cast. Joe Pantoliano's police captain is raised from the grave for an ill-advised revelation – presumably because everyone realized that killing him in the last installment was a mistake You better call SaulRhea Seehorn is portrayed as his daughter for inexplicable motives (and is given a frankly ridiculous finale).

And where is Gabrielle Union in all this? Not only is her character's presence completely welcome, but it could also solve many of the plot problems that the series has struggled with in the last two installments.

Where to see Bad Boys: Ride or Die: Netflix

3. Bad boys for life (2020)

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A far more enjoyable return than anyone could have expected. Bad boys for life It deftly deviates from the franchise while also making an effort to lay the groundwork for future installments with the introduction of new characters (including Vanessa Hudgens and Jacob Scipio as Mike's son).

There's an interesting twist in that the Big Bad – Kate del Castillo as the mother of the man Mike fathered – is involved in a vague form of black magic and appears to communicate with the underworld. Although kept vague, this pivot gives the franchise a completely unexpected twist, and the directors expertly walk the line between reinforcing the film's gonzo spirit and betraying the series' tone. That is, those of us who expect (hope?) to find some hint of the supernatural in it Bad Boys 4 remained unfulfilled.

Where to see Bad boys for life: Hulu

Related: Watch Will Smith and Martin Lawrence Lose It Bad boys for life Blooper reel

2. Bad boys (1995)

The original Bad boys is a high point for the buddy cop genre and one of the best action films of the 90s. Mike and Marcus, with the help of a cooperative witness (Téa Leoni), work to find out who is behind the theft of $100 million worth of heroin from the police station.

Pretty small in scale and scope compared to the rest of the franchise. Bad boys is nevertheless a stylish and rousing successor to Beverly Hills police officer And Deadly weapon. It set the template for the series' snarky, profane repartee and over-the-top action sequences, which only accelerated with the introduction of sequels.

Where to see Bad boys: Netflix

1. Bad Boys II (2003)

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In the best installment of the series, Mike and Marcus try to stop a vicious drug dealer (Jordi Mollá) from flooding Miami with bad ecstasy. It's an over-the-top and extremely violent sequel that's quite callous towards women, nudity and human sexuality as a whole. And yet it's endless fun.

Bad Boys II features some truly amazing practical action sequences, and lots of them. It's fast-paced and tonally perfect, the perfect balance of hellish action and rich comedy. The film also introduces Gabrielle Union as Marcus' sister (and – ugh! – Mike's one-time love interest), who is a perfect antidote to the macho chaos. It's baffling and pretty unforgivable that the series didn't bring her back.

Where to see Bad Boys II: Netflix

Related: Michael Bay says Bad boys “The game with black actors has literally changed”

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.