Bad Boys II was just that – bad. Okay, the chase scenes were cool – the shower of cars and near misses WAS exciting. It was waaaay too long – but it was exciting. The gunfights were cool – they were cut together way too quickly, and impossible to follow, but they were exciting. The gratuitous parade of scantilly clad hotties was cool – it did nothing to advance the story, but it was great eye candy. Sure, Martin Lawrence was a non-stop laugh riot – it was the same joke over and over, but it was funny. And yes, Will Smith certainly did look snazzy – the super-slo-mo-camera-circling poses were unnecessary and unoriginal, but he did look cool.

So what was so bad about it? It was a cookie cutter summer blockbuster. It had carboard characters, juvenile sound bites, gratuitous sex and violence – and NOTHING new.

Hey, I like the formula flics as much as the next guy – but at least give me a new twist, a new special effect, or even a new location. Let me trick myself into believing that I didn’t shell out 8 bucks for a 2 1/2 hour rerun.

Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay should both be ashamed. You guys have enough money – spend a little less on the silly exploding Cuban village and a little more on a story and originality.

RATING 4 out of 10