Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) return for a fourth time in Bad Boys: Ride or Die,. While I like the franchise, and I like the characters and the way the series has expanded, this one felt a little slower and not exactly top heavy but not as engaging as it should have been.

And the script throws in a ridiculous arc for Marcus, he’s had a near death experience, and consequently talks about reincarnation and the fact that it’s not his time to die.

Mike is married and has a home, not an apartment, Marcus and family (with Tasha Smith replacing Theresa Randle) are living in a different house than we’ve seen before, and their lives are about to get upended.

Someone is framing the late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) as having worked with drug cartels over the past nine years. Mike and Marcus are determined to clear his name, and along the way they find themselves on the wrong side of the law working with Mike’s son, Armando (Jacob Scipio), as well as Dorn (Alexander Ludwig), Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens) and Rita (Paola Nunez).

Unfortunately, it’s incredibly easy to figure out who the villain is. Some of the action sequences are solid, and it’s undeniable that the Smith and Lawrence still have chemistry. It’s also nice to see the fact that the series is dealing with the characters aging and some real problems, Mike has a panic attack!

The world has expanded a lot since the first film, and there are lots of little nods and callbacks throughout the film but none top Marcus’ son-in-law, Reggie (Dennis Greene). But it’s also affected the storytelling style of the film, it’s not quite as glossy and slick feeling as the Michael Bay entries, and there are a lot of visual effects that deliver a level of unreality to an already improbable action series.

Having said that, there are a number of sequences that I enjoyed, but this one, like the previous entry, just doesn’t get the adrenaline rush that Bay’s films had. I hate admitting that, because Bay isn’t exactly my favorite filmmaker, but I do enjoy both of his Bad Boys films (and The Rock).

And we really didn’t need the post-credit scene, that’s just a waste, and really dumbs down the film. It’s not a horrible movie, it just seems like the worst entry in a fairly reliable action series. Perhaps this will be the last one, and we can leave Mike and Marcus to age somewhat gracefully.

If they can concoct a really solid story and execute it well, I would happily enjoy another entry, but give it and the characters the attention they deserve. And have fun with it.