(spoiler free)
I can’t remember exactly when I saw ‘Ride Along’, I never caught it in the cinemas but I did grab the DVD some time last year maybe. Nothing from the film has lived long in my memory but at the time it was a bit of fun and amusing if nothing else. I expected much the same from it’s sequel and didn’t mind checking it out because I do think Kevin Hart is a very good comedic actor.
Kevin Hart and Ice Cube once again have a fantastic chemistry and it’s this that goes a long way in making up for the other shortfalls of the film. At times we get flashbacks to the very funny cop duo from ‘White Chicks’ but I’m afraid it’s only glimpses back and ‘Ride Along 2’ never becomes anything too memorable. Ken Jeong also stars in this sequel, he slots into the chemistry that the two leads have well and he does at times contribute some humour. These are the three main characters in the movie and they do a lot of the hard work. In the opening scenes to the film there is a cameo, which I won’t spoil for you, however I kind of felt that it was wasted as it’s over so quick and not much is made of it. It’s all set up to make some gags about the series of film that cameo star is from but the film never actually attempts to make them which was a shame.
The film is far from being a laugh a minute but it’s always amusing enough to keep your attention, the laughs come from the chemistry more than anything else. However, there is one funny repeated gag which sees Hart’s character face off against his over controlling wedding planner which works quite well. The pace isn’t too bad throughout the film and it follows a pretty standard buddy cop movie formula so naturally there is a bit of a lull after the half way mark. Although with most films in this genre the finale does make up for this, it’s got the most action and most of the jokes land making it a good end to the film. However, it’s always treading pretty close in ideas to Ice Cube’s other cop film series, the Jump Street movies. With bits borrowed and similar storylines so soon after these films it only reminds the audience that the Ride Along movies are just not as good as the Jump Street ones. Where ’22 Jump Street’ surprised everyone by excelling as a sequel I’m afraid Ride Along 2 does very little to build on it’s original film.
Don’t get me wrong though, this film never becomes one of those hateful comedies. It was much better than ‘Dirty Grandpa’ which I saw the same day. The backbone to the film is the chemistry and it’s always solid which is something. However much like the original, ‘Ride Along 2’ was amusing enough for it’s running time but it’s also instantly forgettable and something I’m unlikely to revisit.
Rating – 5/10
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