Ride Along 2 Feels Like A Repeat
Comedic Duo: Kevin Hart and Ice Cube provide a bevy of laughs in Ride Along 2, but the movie, which hit theaters on Jan. 15, seems like a repeat of the original, which came out in 2014.
The comedy duo of Ice Cube and Kevin Hart return to the screen once again in Ride Along 2.
However, the movie, seemed more like a replay with too many cliches.
The action-comedy picks up right where it left off, with Ben Barber (played by Hart), wanting to impress his future brother-in-law, James Payton (played by Ice Cube), the tough cop who attempts to scare off Barber from becoming a detective and marrying his sister, Angela Payton (Tika Sumpter).
There were many action-packed scenes, just like in the first version, with police car chases, Barber’s funny, loud rants and Payton’s disdainful response toward Barber’s every move. Once again the two are stuck with each other after Lt. Brooks (Bruce McGill) grants Payton the task to uncover a drug deal. The actions leads the duo to the sunny beaches of Miami for an undercover operation. Besides those two bustling at each other’s throats, the movie presents an X-factor in Ken Jeong as A.J., a criminal hacker.
The movie might have seemed like a complete repeat had it not been for a new characters Maya (Olivia Munn), a Miami Detective, and Benjamin Bratt as Antonio Pope, a crime boss. Although most of the scenes were predictable, the combination of Jeong and Hart’s humorous and witty ways kept the movie moving forward. Ride Along 2 is rated PG-13. The comedy action film has some sexual content and strong language.
Hart exhibited tremendous energy throughout the movie as the bachelor leaving behind his wedding plans and his fiancee’ Angela Payton. He and James Payton are sucked into the Miami lifestyle with cubavera attire, clubs, parties, woman and fancy cars. At some point in the film, Hart even survives an alligator attack during a party hosted by Pope.
As the movie unravels, Payton and Barber eventually bring down Pope with the help of Maya, but not before they create chaos and disaster near the Port of Miami.
It was good to see Barber pass the test once again and save his partner’s life, earning his respect and marrying his sister, but I thought the ending was too simple and obvious. There never was a lack of amusement and humor, which might explain the 6.1 star ratings on IMDB, but the story was too predictable.
The film’s opening weekend, which took place on Jan. 15, grossed more than $34 million, falling short of the original film, Ride Along, which earned $48,626,380 in its opening week in 2014.
Although Ride Along 2 might have come up short in the first week at the box office and been a bit redundant, the film, directed by Tim Story, is still good enough on any given night.
