User reviews

'Ride Along 2' is the sequel to the 2014 comedy 'Ride Along' also starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. Now i was one of the people who did not see the first Ride Along, but this being a comedy sequel, i had pretty low expectations going into it. And those low expectations worked in the films favour, i expected complete trash, and i ended up with a film that was just 'not good', so you could say it was better than i thought it was gonna be (if you want to be nice). The film is a very cliché, by the numbers buddy-cop comedy. It hits all the points you expect it to hit from start to finish, you already know how this film ends, so without that engagement in the story you need the humour to carry you through the film. And with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube teaming up, you expect to get a lot of back and forth jokes between these two complete opposites. There were quite a few times where the film genuinely had me laughing but most of the time it missed the mark and that was a shame.

A lot of the humour in the film did come from Cube and Hart clashing but Olivia Munn also put in her fair share. The film was very patchy in terms of its humour, it took a while for it to actually get funny, the first half of the film was pretty dry in terms of jokes and then it picks up with some laughs here and there, but especially with Kevin Hart bringing the laughs, you'd expect more than just a couple of gags. The back and forth as i mentioned, between Hart and Cube was definitely the star of the show, but i was incredibly surprised by Olivia Munn in this film. For me, she almost stole the show because she was so entertaining in the film, from an acting and comedic standpoint. Sometimes the film has her be the generic tough female cop / love interest but most of the time she was probably my favourite character in the film. Other than that, everything else was very generic and nothing you haven't seen before. I don't want to go so far as to say it was lazy film-making because i have a feeling they were trying to go for the same formula that made people love the first film but it didn't sit right with me.

Once i was able to completely shut off my brain, the last 20 minutes or so of the film was pretty entertaining. Not so entertaining that i was having the time of my life, but it gave me a little kick that allowed me to finish my experience with the film on a high note. Having not seen the first film, i would describe this film as being a tame, not so good version of 21/22 jump street, so if you just want a generic buddy-cop comedy that isn't as good as those two i just mentioned, you may enjoy this one. Also, i gotta mention, there is one scene in this film that was so completely unfunny it kinda did anger me. It involved Kevin Hart and an obviously CG Alligator, at this moment it got really really comical and so silly it felt out of place from the rest of the film. But there is another use of CG involving a car chase that was very clever, so credit where credit is due.

And yeh, thats it, nothing special here, just go watch Jump Street, also starring Ice Cube, a funnier Ice Cube.

4.7/10

Comedy sequels.. unneeded comedy sequels to be exact. Do we need them? No.. hell no we don't. Will they keep making money? Probably. Are they causing any harm? Well no, so the fact that movies such as Ride Along 2 do exist in the world doesn't make me mad. But it isn't like by the end of the year i will remember seeing this film either.

So the sequel to Ride Along once again stars Ice Cube and Kevin Hart and this time Hart's character is a full time police officer. For a start i didn't exactly buy him in this role but whatever the movie wasn't made for the logic. The plot is so basic that it literally just involves the two going to Miami to solve a new case involving Ken Jeong as a hacker for pretty much the same reason as the first film. What we as an audience really want is for it to be funny and to buy the relationship and chemistry between the two leads.. which it doesn't succeed in either. For a start i don't find Kevin Hart funny in the first place, but i know he has potention. I adore Ice Cube.. but his character was just a butthole and didn't really have any likability. Although i liked him more than Hart's character because his act of being the silly short guy wore off long ago. It has a few chuckle worthy moments for sure, but no where near what it was trying to aim for. A lot of the humour is more awkward than funny and a prime example is about halfway through the movie. Kevin Hart is driving through a car chase but suddenly the film changes into a video game version of the events that are happening. It was so random and out of place, like he even looks at Ice Cube and he becomes a creepy avatar of himself. Were we supposed to believe this was happening in real life or in his head or what? It is never explained, the scene just moves on.

In the end there isn't a lot to say. We have an awkward, unfunny sequel where the main characters have no chemistry so you can't believe they are partners. The actors try their best but don't save the final result. Do i recommend it? Well no i don't, but there could be worse ways to spend your time, so at least there's that?

"Ride Along 2," directed by Tim Story, is the sequel to the 2014 action-comedy, reuniting Kevin Hart and Ice Cube as the mismatched duo, Ben and James. The film follows the pair to Miami, where they aim to bring down a drug dealer, played by Benjamin Bratt.

Kevin Hart brings his signature high-energy humor, while Ice Cube maintains his tough-guy persona, creating a dynamic that fans of the first film will recognize. Olivia Munn and Ken Jeong join the cast, adding some fresh faces to the mix.

However, the movie struggles to deliver new laughs, relying heavily on the same formula as its predecessor. The action sequences are entertaining but predictable, and the plot is thin, offering few surprises.

While "Ride Along 2" provides some amusing moments, it ultimately falls short of being a standout comedy, resulting in an average viewing experience.

Ride Along 2 is by no means going to win any awards, but it is fun ride. Why the low rating from me? Stick around and find out.

Synopsis: The RIDE ALONG 2 sequel picks up about a year after our heroes' last adventure. Plans for a quick trip to Miami go bad. With the wedding upcoming, James reluctantly takes Ben with him to Miami to follow up on a lead connected to a drug ring case he's been trying to crack. In Miami, they meet Maya, a no-BS homicide detective who lets them know Miami is her turf. They also encounter AJ, a shady cocky computer hacker who reveals evidence that implicates a well- respected local businessman, the wealthy Antonio Pope. Pope harbors a vicious streak and rules South Florida's drug trade. If Ben and James can convince the authorities that Pope is a brutal crime boss they'll stop his spree. If they fail, well there may not be a wedding after all. Starring: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart Director: Tim Story

So you know this movie was made because of the immense popularity of the two stars. The fact the first movie was actually really good and had great chemistry from the two stars you knew the second was getting made. There already is talk of a third one, and I can see why. Ice Cube and Kevin Hart played off each other so well. They are the selling point of the movie.

All the movie is is a buddy cop movie. Nothing more, nothing less. If you are going into this movie thinking you are going to see some epic story or action or acting you might as well skip this movie. Take it for what it is.

Now, for the low rating. There is a part in the movie where they start doing a video game type of filming. It was uncalled for. It lasted about three minutes and was a waste of time. They should have just left it as a regular car chase and got it over with.

That's not to say that is the only reason for the low rating. All you got throughout the movie was your normal troupes for this kind of movie.

Final Thoughts: Going into this movie thinking you are getting a simple movie. Don't expect it to be great. It's that simple. It's still a fun watch though.

Rating: 5 out of 10

For the original Ride Along (2014), it was by no means a buddy cop movie that broke any rules or boundaries. It was mostly a standard affair of the usual buddy cop genre clichés that occasionally threw something new into the mix. One of the biggest differences for this feature among other cop comedies was the pair of main leads. Putting tough guy Ice Cube and comic short stack Kevin Hart together wasn't a bad idea at all. Even with the number of problems the picture had, Cube and Hart were able to make the watch a tolerable experience. Of course because this was probably one of the big reasons as to why that movie did well, Universal Studios green lit this sequel. And like other sequels that come after their originals, their lack of attention begins to show. There's nothing wrong with hiring the majority of the same crew to film a sequel but they have to know how to develop the story and not just run on auto-pilot; rehashing everything from the first entry. Sadly this is practically what occurs here.

Directed by Tim Story and written by duo Phil Hay / Matt Manfredi again, you would think there'd be some kind of change in where the narrative went. Not really. One of the biggest topics that is consistently brought up during this movie is the matter of "focus". The script to this sequel struggles to have that focus. Even with everything James (Ice Cube) and Ben (Kevin Hart) went through in Ride Along (2014), Ben is still not an official detective. After making their latest bust, James discovers that the drugs coming into where he lives is being delivered from Miami. With Ben's wedding is a few days away, James takes Ben on another "ride along" in hopes of having his sister realize she loves a fool. The premise is more or less the same concept except this time, the surrounding circumstances are altered slightly. Going back to what was mentioned earlier, the writers and director just seemed to be on auto-pilot for this project. Hardly any of it feels different from before.

Ice Cube and Kevin Hart still have a bit of chemistry together on screen but it now really depends on whether the viewer is interested in seeing familiar slapstick. Hart is loud and Cube fumes out the ears or stares in confusion. There are a couple of good quips each lead has but the comedy is more hit and miss now. There's also a new addition of supporting characters, which belong to Olivia Munn as Maya, a Miami cop and Ken Jeong as A.J., the main suspect who has a connection to the crimes. Although Munn doesn't have very much dialog that develops her character, she too gets a few good scenes in. Ken Jeong is alright in his role but he can get a bit annoying for those who already aren't fond of Kevin Hart's character. Jeong's role just adds to it. Playing the villain, Antonio Pope, is Benjamin Bratt, who downright nails the "bad guy" voice and look but fails to have any development written for him. This makes him even less of a threat than Laurence Fishburne from Ride Along (2014).

There are few other faces to be seen as well. Tika Sumpter playing Angela (Ben's soon-to-be wife) returns since she's more or less a plot device than anything else. Carlos Gomez (from Desperado (1995)) plays the Miami captain of the force and it certainly was a surprise to see him. It's been a while. Lastly, Michael Rose plays a henchman of Pope. The only reason why I mention Rose is because for a while he looked like Robert John Burke. It's kind of an eerie resemblance. The action sequences are adequately staged and some parts of those are different when it came to using vehicles and such. The special effects were okay too except for one scene, which dealt with Ben relating an action sequence to a video game. This time, instead of Ben just stating to pretend it's a video game, the scene literally turns into one and its transition is jarring. It's somewhat inventive but at the same time, the visual downgrade makes it look like the crew was just trying to save money.

The cinematography has changed hands for this feature. Originally for Ride Along (2014), the director of photography was Larry Blandford who had some very uninteresting shots. In Ride Along (2014), much of the situations involved were inside buildings with dull colors. Here, Mitchell Amundsen takes over and it looks a ton better. The setting is in Miami, so there better be some wide scope shots of scenery. Even for the inside of buildings, the structural designs were much more elaborate giving viewers at least something to look at. Amundsen also worked on Transformers (2007) and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009). Lastly, the film score was once again produced by Tim Story collaborator Christopher Lennertz. Strangely enough Lennertz does not reuse his main theme from the original movie but at least keeps the same tone of his cues. A franchise like this should have a main theme to fall back on though. That would've made it somewhat more memorable.

Ride Along (2014) wasn't a great buddy cop movie but it did feel different. This sequel just re-does almost everything except the mission is different. Ice Cube and Kevin Hart still have likable chemistry and the cinematography has improved but much of the antics and formula are very much the same; making this feel too similar for its own good.

The 2016 action-comedy "Ride Along 2," which has Ice Cube's steely demeanor and Kevin Hart's exuberant humor, is a mixed bag of entertaining. The picture manages to provide a good dose of humor as Hart's character, Ben Barber, carries on with his charming, if exaggerated, antics. The bond between Hart and Ice Cube is still one of the best parts of the movie; it laid the groundwork for the successful buddy cop relationship in the first one. The comedy moments in the movie are enhanced by the inclusion of Ken Jeong, who brings a fresh comic element.

The movie's plot, meanwhile, is weak; it doesn't feel as original as the first one and instead feels conventional. The storyline is somewhat formulaic, focusing on well-known buddy police clichés without introducing many fresh ideas. The action scenes keep up a certain degree of tension, but not enough to make the movie more than your average buddy cop comedy. A mediocre option for those looking for a lighthearted and entertaining distraction, "Ride Along 2" entertains on the strength of the comedic skills of its cast, despite its storytelling flaws.

Mismatched Atlanta cops and soon to be brothers-in-law James Payton (Ice Cube) and Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) are back and this time Payton is on a case involving a wealthy businessman Antonio Pope (Benjamin Bratt) who he believes is involved in a major drug-trafficking operation. Payton is intent on cracking this case alone, but reluctantly agrees to take Barber along for the 'ride' to give his sister some space to make he final wedding arrangements. How will our 'chalk and cheese' duo face second time around?

In the first Ride Along film the plot was on the thin side and it was reliant upon Ice Cube and Kevin Hart's chemistry to make up for its rather generic story. It kind of worked in the first film and it kind of works in this film as well.

The main problem with this film is that it does rehash a lot of the jokes that we saw in the first film; the 'fish-out-of-water' stuff with Kevin Hart in the first film was quite funny - even though it did play out as a comedy version of Training Day. What you basically get in the sequel is the same thing which is still quite funny, but it doesn't feel quite as believable the second time around and it lacks the freshness of the first film - could Ben Barber still be this inept and did he not learn anything from the first film? This kind of lack of continuity does hurt the film slightly.

As with the first film, the plot is extremely thin and unfocused and our villain of the piece is given no real development. Like the first film, this felt like the slow-motion action sequences and computer animation were more important than the story itself - although I must confess that I thought that the computer animation sequences were a nice touch and were quite funny to watch.

Thankfully, the chemistry between Ice Cube and Kevin Hart is still as good as it was in the first film and this is probably the sole thing that makes this film watchable; they're both good in their roles and they seemed to have been injected with more likability second time around. I actually found Hart slightly less annoying in this film and think that he might be starting to grow on me. Benjamin Bratt was effective as the villain (considering he had very little to work with).

Whilst I didn't think Ride Along 2 was a brilliant film I have to say that I wasn't bowled over by the first film either and in my opinion Ride Along 2 is every bit as good or bad as the first film. If you liked the first film and don't mind watching another rehash then you should be fine with this sequel. It's watchable, providing you keep your expectations on the low side.

Kevin Hart and Ice Cube are back at it again. This installment of Ride Along was hilarious in some parts, but the story to it was not that interesting at all.

Ice cube was his angry self all throughout the movie. But then he became somewhat sentimental at the end of the movie. It was weird.

Kevin Hart was his obnoxious loud screaming self all throughout the movie. He did have some really funny parts in the movie, but it did not make up for the overall outcome of the movie. The car chase where Hart was driving was funny because of how it was played out. It was made to seem like the popular video game Grand Theft Auto. It was also funny to see him continuously use the turn signal during the car chase from a force of habit.

Other than that, there was really nothing special about this movie. If any of the previews were seen, then it is pretty much the actual funny parts of the movie. The rest was just not necessary at all and stretched out.