Bad Boys For Life appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a pretty strong presentation.
Sharpness looked good. A sliver of softness impacted some wider shots, but the film usually felt accurate and concise.
No concerns with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and edge enhancement remained minor. Source flaws also failed to create problems.
In terms of colors, For Life went with “action-standard” orange and teal. As much as I dislike those choices, they made sense here, as they echoed the Michael Bay palette of the first two flicks.
Blacks were deep and firm, while shadows showed good delineation. Overall, this was a pleasing presentation.
Similar thoughts greeted the good DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of For Life. I felt the soundscape delivered an involving experience in which the action scenes offered a nice sense of impact.
The film packed plenty of these elements, so we got many instances of gunfire, explosions, and other lively tidbits. Overall, the mix filled out the room in a satisfying manner.
Audio quality was positive. Speech came across as natural and concise, without edginess or other issues.
Music showed good range, and effects offered a nice sense of impact. These were the kind of loud, impressive elements one would anticipate, as they showed solid clarity. This was a good soundtrack.
As we shift to extras, Ride or Die lasts 13 minutes, 51 seconds. It brings notes from directors Adil and Billal, executive producers Barry Waldman and Chad Oman, co-writer Chris Bremner, producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Doug Belgrad, costume designer Dayna Pink, and actors Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Joe Pantoliano, Vanessa Hudgens and Charles Melton.
“Ride” looks at the long development of the third film in the series, story/characters, cast and performances, the impact of the directors, sets and locations, stunts and action, and costumes.
Like one might expect, “Ride” comes with a fair amount of hyperbole and praise involved. However, it manages a pretty decent view at the film despite the happy talk, so it merits a look.
It’s About Damn Time runs six minutes, 44 seconds and provides comments from Pantoliano, Billal, Adil, Hudgens, Melton, Bruckheimer, Smith, Lawrence, Oman, Belgrade, Pink, and actors Nicky Jam, Jacob Scipio, Theresa Randle and Alexander Ludwig.
With “Time”, we learn about aspects of the first two movies. Though we locate a few details connected to the original film’s development, this acts more as an appreciation than anything informative.
Split into three segments, Partners in Crime spans a total of 16 minutes, eight seconds. These clips offers notes from Smith, Lawrence, Billal, Adil, Hudgens, Melton, Ludwig, Scipio, Jam, Waldman, Belgrad, Pantoliano, and actors Kate Del Castillo, DJ Khaled and Paola Nunez.
Here we look at story/characters, cast and performances, and the impact of the directors. Some of the footage from the set seems interesting, but the comments tend toward the superficial side of the street – and it seems possible that Adil and Billal are the two most obnoxious, annoying men on the planet. They make Michael Bay look low-key and introverted!
Epic Stunts goes for nine minutes, 12 seconds and features info from Smith, Lawrence, Adil, Billal, Waldman, Jam, stunt coordinator/2nd unit director Mike Gunther, special effects coordinator Eric Frazier, and stunt double Dan Mast.
As expected, this show examines the action and stunts of the film. We get the usual mix of happy talk and insights, though “Epic” includes more of the latter than most of the disc’s other programs.
Next comes Easter Eggs, a six-minute, 38-second reel with Adil and Billal as they lead us through a discussion of small nods toward the first two films as well as other trivia. The directors continue to annoy, but they give us some interesting notes.
A Stephen A. Smith Audition lasts one minute, 20 seconds and matches Smith and Lawrence with sportscaster Smith. It offers a comedic attempt by Stephen A. to get the role as police captain. It’s an ad but it’s more entertaining than the movie itself.
Eight Deleted Scenes occupy a total of eight minutes, 11 seconds. Given these running times, one shouldn’t expect much substance from the clips.
Most act to extend existing sequences or add a little character information. We do get an alternate version of the climax. None of them would’ve harmed the film, but they wouldn’t have added much either.
Finally, we get Outtakes and Bloopers, a two-minute, 47-second compilation. It delivers the usual goofs and giggles.
The disc opens with ads for Morbius, Bloodshot, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Charlie’s Angels (2019) and Zombieland: Double Tap, No trailer for Bad Boys for Life appears here.
After 17 years, the long-dormant franchise returns via Bad Boys For Life. It does so in a highly unsatisfying manner, as it feels much more like self-parody than vibrant action. The Blu-ray comes with solid picture and audio as well as a decent array of bonus materials. For Life winds up as a genuinely awful movie.