Not on the same level as the original, unfortunately.

'Ride Along 2' still isn't anything bad or overly boring, it's possibly worth a single viewing, but there is nothing to remember from the 101 minute run time - which does drag at times. The humour is average.

Kevin Hart (Ben) is probably the best performer here, not so closely followed by Ice Cube (James). Ken Jeong (A.J.) has a few mildly amusing jokes at the beginning, though soon turns into a forgettable character. Olivia Munn (Maya) is meh, while Benjamin Bratt (Pope) is a dull villain. There's a good cameo from a 'Fast & Furious' actor though.

I like 'Ride Along', though its follow-up is disappointingly uninspiring.

_"It's like when my nephew loses a soccer game. I wanna give you a hug and a Capri Sun."_

I enjoyed the first one more. By all means, that's likely not the majority opinion. This film seemed to turn the dial of humor up, and the dialogue seemed more humor-oriented than in the first film; not only that, the overall scope of it came across as broader, likely due to a bigger budget. And I was right: looking at the budgets of both films, the first one was $25 million, and this one was $40 million.

But I still enjoyed the first one more. This one wasn't bad: no way; I was just as entertained. I just, for some reason, found the first one to be more enjoyable. And honestly? I couldn't tell you why. As I said, everything about this film screams 'sequel even better.' So, I have no excuses. I don't even think it's a matter of this one not delivering (as much), but simply due to personal opinion with no explanation.

The additions of Olivia Munn and Ken Jeong were good. They brought some extra entertainment value and individuality to the film compared to the first and were way better than Bryan Callen and John Leguizamo. But the crystal clear stand-out was Benjamin Bratt. His performance was captivating, and his charisma was palpable. No disrespect to Laurence Fishburne (more known with a greater résumé), but he was underwhelming in the first film. Benjamin is the superior antagonist.

And Kevin Hart brought more to his performance as Ben Barber in this film than in the first one. He was more active and expressive with it. That (and specific moments with him) played a big part in this film's entertainment, more so than in the previous one. Just like with the humor/comedy being more prominent this time. Saying I liked the first one more is starting to seem inaccurate now. Despite having more memorable moments, including more 'moments' in the first place, I guess I just enjoyed the first one _as a whole_ more than this one.

Two other aspects that elevated the film were the soundtrack and the cinematography. Because of the higher budget (and the work by Mitchell Amundsen, of course), the cinematography had more opportunities to be good, depending on the utilization, which was a success. But the soundtrack was the better of the two.

Compared to the first film, this one didn't necessarily bring anything new to the table, not that it should've. Don't try changing what already works/worked. Right? Both films were incredibly successful, box office-wise. The biggest draw is the chemistry between Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, so as long as that's still there, there isn't "a point" in trying to bring something new to the table. I get that. And while that did somewhat make the film itself pointless (because of being essentially the same as the first one with "new" stuff happening), it still served its purpose as entertainment.

> They both are getting closer professionally as well as family.

When I liked the first movie, I wanted a sequel and now they made one for it that I liked even better than the original. I don't think Ice Cube's solo performance could have pulled the crowd in, the impact was because of the Kevin Hart's presence, he really rocks. He's doing some awesome movies lately, and he's the best sidekick and comedian available for now in Hollywood, just like Simon Pegg in England.

Once again a movie is totally underrated, especially by foul mouthed film critics. Trust me, this film is much better than what they say. If you liked the first, you'll surely going to enjoy it as well. I'm confident the rating will recover in the later days once the regular people rent it. A simple follow-up story, but it was the comedy that lifted this film. The two cops soon-to-be bros-in-law goes to Miami on a job, but the case they're working connects with others, so they join the local force to take down the gang behind it.

Who needs a spoof film for it, the movie mocks its own characters by saying 'a low budget Jackie Chan' for Keng Jeong. Apart from the comedies, the action sequences were very impressive. Olivia Munn was a great addition and I believe she would hangouts here for the next. Yep, I want the third movie and I'm hoping it to be even more stylish kick-ass action-comedy. So just retain the director and writers, after the first two films, I got high hope on them.

7/10