Film: Bad Boys for Life

The first two Bad Boys movies were not good. You'll have to have had some laser etched rose tinted contact lenses if you still remember them to be. The often cited defence of "it was 25 years ago" also doesn't wash, as there are many examples of films released then which have held up (not to say Bad Boys was even good back then).

Needless to say, I went into BBFL with low expectations.

There's been a bit of a backlash against reboots and nostalgia recently as people finally realise that more often than not how our memories are being exploited as bait. Films which take that approach have no incentive to do better, and so tend to end up pretty poor. That's not to say that fan service isn't important - perhaps see the MCU to see how it can be done.

So believe me that when I say I enjoyed BBFL, it wasn't because it took me back to my school days. It was actually a pretty decent film - and that in its own right. In fact apart from a single cameo you could have gone into the movie with no knowledge of the first two with no danger of missing any inside joke. It had some decent action, decent comedy and even - check this - a half decent plot. It was all very decent.

I can't imagine there being a better pick to watch in this cold final week of January, so in that vacuum I suppose it comes recommended. That might sound like a low bar, but believe me when I say its legacy was even lower.

Film: Jojo Rabbit

Jojo is very good, but not great. This is a big shame, because it appears to have all the ingredients required for a modern classic - a good story, some great acting and bags of superfluous charm and smarts. But where a real classic would always be greater than the sum of its parts, Jojo doesn't quite manage to go farther than its own great production.

I guess that all a fancy way of saying that it lacks depth, and fails in fulfilling the promises that it makes. Take Adolf, the imaginary friend, for instance. Such a vehicle should have either been made a core part of the story or character - but here its actually just a bit of timepass comic relief. It's an example that's representative of the film as a whole.

But this isn't to say that the film is a failure. No, as I opened with Jojo is very good, and I'd recommend it to anyone. It's just hard not to consider the wasted potential it represents.