Ride Along: Next Level Miami - Blu-ray

Movie: Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) has made it! He's finally a cop! Though still on probation, but those are just minor issues. Maybe now he'll finally manage to earn the respect of his almost-brother-in-law James (Ice Cube), whose sister Angela (Tika Sumpter) he'll marry in a week. But after he botches a sting against dealer Troy, in which James' partner is also shot, things don't look good for Ben at all. After all, they were able to recover a USB stick during the operation, which provides a hot lead to a hacker in Miami. When James wants to go there to find the hacker, Ben knows he has to go. In fact, his brother-in-law can be persuaded to do so, but shortly after their arrival in Miami he must regret it bitterly - not suspecting which big gangster they are here in reality on the track.

With Ride Along, director Tim Story landed a real surprise hit in the USA in 2014. This was despite the fact that the comedy barely had an ounce of originality to it. But the chemistry between Kevin Hart and Ice Cube alone, which is on full display in the constant bickering between the grouchy James and the annoying Ben, and some decent action sequences were enough to draw enough viewers into the cinemas for a sequel to be quickly greenlit. This one moves the action to Miami, but otherwise offers little new. However, Ken Jeong (Hangover) and Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse) join the cast, two supporting actors who make for some thoroughly amusing moments. And a few of the action scenes are quite watchable as well.

The story itself, on the other hand, is rather flat, as is the character drawing. The second part also lacks exactly the wit and charm that made other representatives of the buddy cop genre so successful. Kevin Hart and Ice Cube don't step out of their comfort zone at any moment here and just deliver another variation of what they already delivered in many other movies before. This might work for fans, but it's just a little tiring in the long run.

Ride Along: Next Level Miami may not objectively be a really good movie. But it is one that is perfectly suited to its target audience. It doesn't take any chances and gives fans of the first part exactly what they want to see. In some scenes this is pure repetition, but in other moments it's a successful variation of the familiar, which sometimes even works a little bit better than its predecessor. There's truly enough to criticize here. The good entertainment value is not one of them. And for that there is a clear: Worth seeing!

Image + Sound: If there's one thing there's nothing to complain about with Ride Along: Next Level Miami, it's undoubtedly the film's technical realization on the Blu-ray. The picture is absolutely clean and the overall sharpness is at a very good level, especially in the outdoor scenes. The colors are powerfully mixed and the contrasts also leave a positive impression. It almost makes you want to travel to Miami yourself. The sound has to offer right at the beginning by rapid action scenes a really good utilization of the surround channels. But also the music and the voices sound well coordinated from the speakers. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, the Blu-ray has in addition to six unreleased and extended scenes (about 8:40Min.) still a promo clip with the title drive but times (about 1:48 min.), as well as the associated Making of (about 1:24 min.) to offer. There's also a gag reel (approx. 3:47 min.), as well as making of featurettes about Kevin & Cube (approx. 6:52 min.) and the chase through Miami in Black Hammer mode (approx. 3:24 min.). None of this is particularly in-depth and offers more of the usual promo material. But at least there are some pretty amusing moments to be seen in the cut scenes for fans.

Conclusion: Ride Along. Next Level Miami offers fans of the first film more of what made its predecessor so successful: Action, amusing bickering between Ben and James, and plenty of typical Kevin Hart chaos comedy. It's not original, nor is it always funny, but for the target audience it provides enough fun and entertainment for an entertaining evening at home. The Blu-ray presents the film in good to very good picture and sound quality. The extras are rather superficial, but at least the cut scenes are worth a look. Recommended.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp