Joy (voice of Amy Poehler), Sadness (voice of Phyllis Smith), Anger (voice of Lewis Black), Fear (voice of Tony Hale), Disgust (voice of Liza Lapira) and Anxiety (voice of Maya Hawke) in a scene from "Inside Out 2." (Photo courtesy of Disney/Pixar)
'Tis the season for sequels at the movies. New releases that end with a number or a Roman numeral are a summer staple as emblematic of these warm months as swimming pools and sleepaway camps. But trying to build upon work that captured the public's imagination doesn't necessarily mean you're going to wind up with a carbon copy of a box office juggernaut from years past.
Two high-profile new follow-ups try to have it both ways, delivering what previously appealed to moviegoing audiences while taking their characters on journeys that might just entail evolution, or at the very least a shift in how they view the world.
Last weekend, one of these films brought much-needed revenue to a malnourished box office beset by a string of underperformers. The other will attempt to keep the ball rolling this weekend. One is an R-rated action movie that uses the rating's trappings to its advantage (and detriment). The other brings back animated characters so beloved that it transcends its children's entertainment elements to appeal to demographics beyond the usual family crowds. Who comes out on top? The answer befits this topsy-turvy time to be a regular moviegoer: The kids' movie is the adult in the room.
Embarrassment (voice of Paul Walter Hauser), Anxiety (voice of Maya Hawke), Envy (voice of Ayo Edebiri) and Ennui (voice of Adèle Exarchopoulos) in a scene from "Inside Out 2." (Photo courtesy of Disney/Pixar)
“Inside Out 2”: Did we really need another peek inside the emotions that work together to make an independent-minded girl the best version of herself? No, not really. And yet, this bright, fast-paced new chapter in the life of Riley, and the little voices inside her head that guide her choices, makes a strong case for the one-size-fits-all brand of Pixar sequel that wants to be all things to all audiences.
We'll get back to the animation studios' identity crisis later. When we last left Riley (voiced this time by Kensington Tallman), a decision to run away from her new San Francisco home, and an ensuing reversal, brought her closer together with her parents (once again voiced by Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan). Fast forward a couple of years, and the tween is now a teen bound for high school, determined to make her mark on the hockey rink. But turning 13 brings a whole new set of challenges.
Ready to take the onset of puberty head on is the central quintet at Headquarters, the labor-friendly name given to Riley's mind. Joy (Amy Poehler) is once again posited as the leader, ably assisted by Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Liza Lapira, replacing Mindy Kaling) and Fear (Tony Hale grabs the reins from Bill Hader).
But unbeknownst to this close-knit crew, four new emotions are going to make themselves at home: the fidgety Anxiety (Maya Hawke), the covetous, wide-eyed Envy (Ayo Edebiri), timid, pink-hued Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) and disaffected Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos).
A battle of wills soon bubbles to the surface between the chipper Joy and the frazzled Anxiety, who has her own, carefully mapped out ideas for the course of action Riley should take when she is suddenly invited to take part in a hockey camp alongside older players who may or may not become her future teammates. What ensues will test Riley's mettle and will send the older emotions on their own adventure to make sure their girl does what they deem to be the right thing.
It's daunting to follow on the footsteps of the gifted Pete Docter, who helmed the first “Inside Out,” as well as “Monsters, Inc.,” “Up” and “Soul,” but Emmy-nominated Kelsey Mann is able to hold his own. The Pixar vet, a story supervisor for the underrated “The Good Dinosaur” and “Monsters University,” brings a nimble energy and cartoonish glee to this sequel, which marks his feature directing debut. He keeps things moving at a steady clip, while retaining the sense of awe and tricky mix of laughs and pathos that made the first film such a keeper.
Sadness (voice of Phyllis Smith) and Joy (voice of Amy Poehler) in a scene from "Inside Out 2." (Photo courtesy of Disney/Pixar)
If “Inside Out 2” is not quite on an even playing field as its predecessor, it's because Mann lacks the distinctive quirks displayed by previous generations of Pixar storytellers. He's a journeyman capably fulfilling his duties, but because he doesn't put a personal imprint on his work, the contours of the Pixar formula become more apparent, the very beats that old-guard directors like Docter and Andrew Stanton would have concealed with their dorky and strange sight gags, concepts and visual motifs.
But “Inside Out 2” is too nuanced and deeply felt to be called impersonal. It takes Riley's ambivalence and crushing self-esteem issues seriously, while still mining laughs from the awkwardness she finds herself unable to shake off. It also builds to an effective climax that has the teen grappling with the consequences of her decisions. (In its depiction of tension in a sports setting, this sequel makes a fine, anxiety-driven double feature with the recently released queer cheer-squad drama “Backspot,” available for digital rental.)
Riley's existential crisis actually mirrors Pixar's own growing pains. An article published by Bloomberg at the end of May reports that executives at the Emeryville, California studios reacted to the disappointing box office performances of “Lightyear” in 2022 and “Elemental” the following year (for the record, I liked both of these okay) by deciding to focus less on culturally specific coming-of-age stories like “Luca” and (the wonderful) “Turning Red,” and instead prioritize films that “speak to a commonality of experience.”
Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett and Will Smith as Mike Lowrey in a scene from "Bad Boys: Ride or Die." (Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures)
Colleagues who didn't care for “Inside Out 2” are using the new sequel as Exhibit A in their argument that the suits at Pixar are learning the wrong lessons from their recent box office struggles. I would say “Inside Out 2” shows both approaches can coexist in harmony. In other words, they can make the wider-appeal sequels and still find room for fresh voices like “Turning Red” director Domee Shi and stories inspired by her own family. Ironically enough, “Turning Red” is a stronger, smarter coming-of-age movie than “Inside Out 2,” one that covers very similar territory.
But Mann's sequel is undeniably entertaining. It features competent voice performances, with Hawke a standout in the film's juiciest role, even though Hader and Kaling are missed. Its surfaces are pristine, thanks in part to its eye-popping color scheme. There is also some traditional animation that's a segue way for some uncharacteristic (for Pixar) fourth wall breaking that skirts uncomfortably close to pandering to the youngest viewers.
But one scene that sticks out, and definitely in a good way, imagines a brainstorming session as a room full of animators tasked by Anxiety to come up with pessimistic thoughts to influence Riley's judgment. In depicting the craft of animation as soul-crushing grunt work, the filmmakers sneak in some jabs at current working conditions for animators. It's quietly subversive content that, for a fleeting moment, recalls a time when Pixar's artists were allowed to take more chances.
“Inside Out 2” ultimately promises more than it can deliver, but don't hold its familiar corners against it. Mann sticks to business as usual, but he has made a clever and touching ode to personal responsibility, and in this era of moviemaking bloat, brings it in at a brisk 96 minutes. That counts as a win.
Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett and Will Smith as Mike Lowrey in a scene from "Bad Boys: Ride or Die." (Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures)
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die”: Do you know what counts as a tiny victory? That a new “Bad Boys” movie is actually not terrible. The bar is low, so very low, when it comes to this popular franchise kicked off by hackmeister Michael Bay back in 1995. Mercifully, the “Armageddon” and “Transformers” auteur is no longer calling the shots, albeit still annoyingly involved in a way that recalls Stan Lee popping up in Marvel movies. Beginning with 2020's pre-pandemic hit “Bad Boys for Life,” the Belgian duo of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah took over directing duties (though Jerry Bruckheimer still looms large as a producer).
That doesn't mean the fourth entry in the bullet-riddled, expletive-laced adventures of Miami Police detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) is good, just slightly less mediocre than its predecessor. “Bad Boys for Life,” aka “Bad Boys 3,” was a hot mess of a buddy picture, undone by mood swings that sent it careening between goofy laughs and testosterone-fueled melodrama. Call it a terminal case of tonal whiplash.
But for “Ride or Die,” the directors, credited here as Adil & Bilall, have ironed out some, not all, of the undisciplined swagger that marred their previous effort. The new movie plays like a mirror image of the prior installment. In both films, a health scare for one of the protagonists forces them to take stock of their life and what really matters. Lowrey survives a shooting in “Bad Boys for Life.” This time, it's Burnett's turn. He collapses during the reception for Lowrey's wedding to his physical therapist, Christine (Melanie Liburd).
The ensuing near death experience, rendered with considerable flair, brings the high-strung Burnett down a notch. Naively, I hoped the character's epiphany would set the tone for a kindler, gentler, more meditative, dare I say spiritual cop story, and Lawrence, whose screen presence tends to go over like nails on a chalkboard, actually delivers some of his best work. Please, my inner voice begged, let this movie be as mellow as this new and improved Burnett.
Will Smith as Mike Lowrey and Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett in a scene from "Bad Boys: Ride or Die." (Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures)
No dice. Working from a by-the-numbers script by Chris Bremner and Will Beall, Adil & Bilall strand their bickering duo in the middle of a stagnant corruption plot involving the late Capt. Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano), a former Army Ranger turned bad guy (a disappointingly generic Eric Dane) and a district attorney who's running for mayor (Ioan Gruffudd, eerily reminiscent of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez).
Faster than you can say “North by Northwest,” Lowrey and Burnett are on the lam and being hunted down like criminals. Spearheading the manhunt is U.S. Marshal Judy Howard (“Better Call Saul's” Rhea Seehorn), none other than Capt. Howard's daughter. The ensuing mayhem is a string of fitfully amusing set pieces that show off parts of Miami, and even Fort Lauderdale, in all their geographically inaccurate splendor. (There's even a hidden villain that's straight out of a Pixar movie.)
The film tries to capture the Magic City's flavor by amassing some pretty but clichéd imagery. Memo to Adil & Bilall: You don't capture Miami's essence by trotting out DJ Khaled for another insipid cameo. You certainly don't capture South Florida malfeasance by inserting some physical humor that's an uncanny, and most unfortunate, callback to Smith's infamous slap of Academy Awards presenter Chris Rock.
Look, it's not as if the filmmakers are completely unsuited to get the job done. Sure, their movies feel closer to the “Fast and Furious” franchise than Bay's entries did. (Action junkies point to the spectacular causeway chase sequence in their defense of “Bad Boys II,” then neglect to mention how the rest of that movie is one of the most repellent, not to mention most homophobic, genre films ever released by a major studio.) But the Belgian helmers also integrate elements from the “Lethal Weapon” series, and there's a faint whiff of European action, like the “District 13” movies.
Adil & Bilall may not have Bay's kinetic chops when staging action, but they also lack his toxicity. Am I allowed to call that progress? However, they're too hemmed in by the demands of the franchise to break free and make something truly fun and spirited. They keep making the same mistake that ruins the “Bad Boys”: squander Smith and Lawrence's chemistry by giving them subpar material. They might expertly bounce off each other, but these aging action heroes are not miracle workers.
“Inside Out 2” and “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” are now showing across South Florida in wide release, including IMAX engagements at Regal South Beach, AMC Aventura, AMC Sunset Place and AMC Pembroke Lake 9. “Inside Out 2” is also showing in the AutoNation IMAX at the Museum of Discovery and Science in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and it is also showing in 3-D in other theaters.
