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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Bad Boys II (Blu-ray) (2003)

Bad Boys II (Blu-ray) (2003)

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Released 5-Nov-2015

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Action Deleted Scenes
Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Production Diaries
Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Sequence Breakdown
Featurette-Stunts
Featurette-Visual Effects
Music Video-La-La-La By Jay-Z
Theatrical Trailer
Rating Rated MA
Year Of Production 2003
Running Time 146:44
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 1,2,3,4,5,6 Directed By Michael Bay
Studio
Distributor
SONY Pictures
Universal Sony
Starring Will Smith
Martin Lawrence
Jordi Mollà
Gabrielle Union
Peter Stormare
Theresa Randle
Joe Pantoliano
Michael Shannon
Case Standard Blu-ray
RPI $15.95 Music Trevor Rabin


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
French DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
German DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.40:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 1080p
Original Aspect Ratio 2.40:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English
English for the Hearing Impaired
Arabic
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
French
German
Hindi
Norwegian
Swedish
Turkish
Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits Yes

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     Bad Boys II is the perfect Michael Bay movie. It’s overblown, self-indulgent, offensive, puerile, overlong and ridiculous, yet it’s almost proud to wear the aforementioned descriptors. There’s a lot of hate about this movie, and while that’s an understandable viewpoint, Bad Boys II is a total gas for my money, a mammoth 150-minute action blockbuster extravaganza that genuinely delivers. Fun is fun, and I cannot deny that I was joyed by nearly every minute of this bona fide guilty pleasure, which is both exhilarating and downright hilarious. Bad Boys II is truly unique in the annals of action cinema, and with its R rating in place allowing for excessive blood-letting, relentless profanity and crude bantering (not to mention female breasts...because of Michael Bay), all backed by a monster budget, it’s not likely that we will ever see anything comparable again.

     A pair of Miami police officers, Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are partners working for the Tactical Narcotics Team, overseen by Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano). Investigating the flow of ecstasy into the United States, Mike and Marcus are lead to powerful Cuban drug lord Johnny Tapia (Jordi Mollà), who has been arrested in the past but never convicted. The DEA are interested in Tapia as well, with Marcus’ younger sister Syd (Gabrielle Union) working undercover to bring him down. And, unbeknownst to Marcus, Syd and Mike have started a secretive relationship.

     When people speak in negative generalisations about Hollywood, calling blockbusters big and dumb, Bad Boys II is precisely the kind of production they are referring to. Aside from the obvious overblown Hollywood theatrics throughout, the tactics of the DEA and Miami PD are thoroughly ridiculous here. Sure, firearms handling is pretty accurate owing to on-set advisors and even real policemen being used as extras, but such high-risk assaults, shootouts and car chases would never happen in real life. Also, apparently Miami cops are extraordinarily well paid since they live in luxurious mansions and drive sports cars. That’s just scratching the surface of the absurdity to unearth here, but suffice it to say nobody should ever come to Bad Boys II expecting anything remotely believable. All these flaws are entirely by design - it’s not as if Bay set out to make a true-to-life cop drama.

     Penned by Ron Shelton and Jerry Stahl, Bad Boys II is a lengthy flick at a bit under two-and-a-half hours, but it never drags. The easily offended may grow sick of the material fairly quickly, but I found it consistently entertaining, lurching from one big ridiculous action set-piece to the next, pausing in between the chaos for some outrageous comedic vignettes. Indeed, Bad Boys II is the funniest movie of Bay’s filmmaking career (not exactly a high bar to reach), which is probably attributable to Smith and Lawrence more than anything else (this is not an especially well-written actioner). A tears-in-the-eyes comic highlight sees Mike and Marcus intimidating a young boy arriving to take Marcus’ daughter on a date, while an iconic scene in an electronics store never gets old, and it’s side-splitting to see the boys clash with their long-suffering captain. Comedy is subjective, so others are perfectly welcome to disagree with this viewpoint, but I cannot lie - I laughed heartily and frequently.

     Bay’s films are often marred by sickening shaky-cam photography which transforms every set-piece into a disjointed, headache-inducing mess but while the camerawork here is frenetic it’s easy to follow the mayhem, which is both frequent and enjoyable. With an R rating in place here, no awkward or restrictive editing is employed - we are permitted to take in the bloodshed in all its violent glory. Bay was working with a hefty budget here, with a generous $130 million at his disposal, thus production values are gorgeous and the photography is frequently eye-catching. Bay is a notoriously difficult director to work with since he’s so demanding, but his dedication shows on-screen, with a sense of authority pervading the feature, and with the action sequences benefitting from accomplished cinematic craftsmanship. Fluid and fun, any action fan should enjoy the action on display here. And underscoring the shootouts and explosions is a memorable score courtesy of Trevor Rabin.

     Smith and Lawrence are perhaps the key reason why the Bad Boys movies work as well as they do. Both men come from comedic backgrounds, and they look believable as men of action. Not to mention they share astonishing, easy-going chemistry and there’s a palpable camaraderie between them; their bantering is a frequent source of amusement. The most notable member of the supporting cast is Pantoliano, a perfect choice for Captain Howard. When Smith, Lawrence and Pantoliano feature in a scene together, it’s guaranteed to be comedy gold.

     Bad Boys II is a motion picture which really highlights the subjective nature of movie criticism, and the polarising nature of films in general. Respected critics trashed this movie to death, with the jaded James Berardinelli even going to far as to state that anyone who enjoys Bad Boys II should seek professional help - such pomposity! For my money, this is an insanely fun movie, the kind of big-budget actioner that can be enjoyed with beer and pizza. Bay’s best movie will always be the ’90s action masterpiece known as The Rock, but Bad Boys II is right up there with the director’s superior filmic endeavours, far better than all of the Transformers abominations or the agonising Pain & Gain. It’s difficult to respect Bay, but when he gets it right, dear lord he gets it right.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     Fans have eagerly awaited a Blu-ray release of Bad Boys II since the format’s early days. The first movie hit Blu-ray back in 2010, and now the sequel is finally available in shiny HD. And how does it stack up? Pretty freaking well.

     Reportedly struck from a 4K scan, Sony’s AVC-encoded, 1080p transfer may not be the mind-blowing revelation that people may unrealistically hope for given the prolonged wait, but it is a fine presentation that blows the DVD away and will happily tide us over until the inevitable Ultra HD Blu-ray release. In the United States, Sony is also releasing a remastered edition of the first Bad Boys - presumably brand new 4K transfers of both films were recently created.

     Perhaps owing to the source, a handful of shots do look a touch muddy, particularly during more low-light material such as the nightclub or parts of the opening montage. It does not look as astonishing as a more recent production, either, at times lacking that spark of refined high definition excellence to launch it into the stratosphere. But that about does it with the negative aspects, if you even wish to label them as such.

     The rest is smooth sailing. Colours genuinely pop, with the rich, highly-saturated colour palette being faithfully recreated here. Locations in bright daylight look gorgeous, while smaller scenes like stuff at the crime lab and the Captain’s house look equally as agreeable. The image is completely free of anomalies; no black crush, banding, or other issues to speak of. Detail often pops, with close-ups revealing a vast array of detail on faces and firearms. There is a layer of grain and noise that’s noticeable at times, but it’s not bothersome and it accentuates the texture of the image. There is no print damage to speak of, with the visuals looking consistently clean and free of issues.

     Sony have done a magnificent job bringing this film to Blu-ray. It’s a pleasing, stable, razor-sharp image from the studio, and I was happy to see it after years of watching my out-dated DVD.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     I was impressed by Bad Boys II’s audio presentation on DVD, but the Blu-ray takes it up another notch, and it does not disappoint in the slightest. This is a loud, frenetic action movie, and the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is an absolute ripper, coming through with oomph and phenomenal clarity. I’m surprised my neighbours didn’t complain about the noise.

     The opening scene in the swamp is a solid indicator about the soundtrack’s quality, as the chaos is beautifully mixed. Gunshots are loud and helicopters seem to be in the room, with surround activity being used to sensational effect. The subwoofer gets a hell of a workout from all of the shootouts and explosions.

     Dialogue is clean and well-prioritised, coming through nicely without any problems to speak of. The music is also spectacular and crystal clear, amplifying the excitement throughout the loud action sequences. The track may not be 7.1 or Atmos, which some people may dislike, but the audio is otherwise flawless, with absolutely no issues that I detected. Watching this disc was a thorough joy.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

     The extras here are exhaustive, though a meaty commentary track or a retrospective featurette could have topped off the package handsomely.

Menu

     A basic, static menu backed by Trevor Rabin's music.

Deleted Scenes (SD; 7:19)

     Seven deleted scenes are available to view, either separately or via a “Play All” function. They are as follows:

     Some of these scenes are fairly amusing, making them a worthwhile inclusion on the disc. All are presented in standard definition, with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound.

Production Diaries (SD; 67:10)

     Nineteen behind-the-scenes snippets are included here, which can be viewed individually or via a “Play All” function. Here’s what you’ll find:

     Any fan of Bad Boys II should enjoy these featurettes if they have the time and patience. The folks at Sony have not mastered these segments in high definition; they are in SD, with mixed framing. Some of the interviews are not 16x9 enhanced, while some of the behind-the-scenes is full-frame. Still, there’s much to like here.

Sequence Breakdown (SD; 45:21)

     Behind-the-scenes featurettes for a number of key action scenes. The two-disc DVD from many years ago also featured storyboards and script pages, which are curiously MIA here. Oh well.

Stunts (SD; 9:29)

     Mostly concerned with stunt driving, this is a behind-the-scenes look at several complicated scenes, revealing how a number of tricky camera shots were achieved. It’s not exhaustive, but it does provide some worthwhile insight, not to mention the on-set footage and outtakes are worth seeing.

Visual Effects (SD; 18:38)

     Now this is a particularly interesting featurette to watch, especially with CGI getting such a bad rap in this day and age. Bad Boys II is a big-budget action spectacle, but it’s fascinating to see how many sequences required digital compositing and CG elements, which you barely notice in the final cut. This featurette delves into the process of creating a number of sequences using a combination of various live-action plates and outright digital effects. Great stuff.

La-La-La By Jay-Z (SD; 3:52)

     A music video for those interested.

Theatrical Trailers (HD)

     Three trailers to complete the set.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    The American edition appears to be identical judging from the press release. Buy local.

Summary

     Bad Boys II is my ultimate guilty pleasure. I've watched it dozens of times, yet I never get sick of it. It's big, loud, fun, exciting and very, very funny.

     I'm happy to report that Sony's long-awaited Blu-ray does not disappoint. Video quality is excellent, exhibiting gorgeous detail and sharpness across the board. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is robust and loud. It's everything that I wanted. And with all extras from the two-disc collector's edition DVD carried over (save for storyboards and script pages that aren't missed much), buying this disc is a no-brainer if you're a fan. And it's only $15.98.

     Bad Boys II on Blu-ray comes highly recommended if you're a fan of the movie.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Callum Knox (I studied biology)
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Review Equipment
DVDPlayStation 4, using HDMI output
DisplayLG 42LW6500. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
AmplificationLG BH7520TW
SpeakersLG Tall Boy speakers, 5.1 set-up, 180W

Other Reviews NONE