BAD Boys II, the explosive sequel to the smash hit 1995 action comedy, reunites director Michael Bay and leading men Will Smith and Martin Lawrence for more high octane thrills and spills.

Size definitely matters to Bay and his team - the action set-pieces are more outrageous and spectacular, the running time side-swipes two and a half hours, and the sound effects are deafening.

Narcotics officers Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) return to the mean streets of Miami to nail vicious kingpin Johnny Tapia (Jordi Molla), who is suspected of controlling the steady flow of designer drug Ecstasy into the city.

Working as part of a hi-tech task force, Mike and Marcus unearth a conspiracy involving illegal biological weapons, earmarked for use in the ongoing gang turf wars.

The investigation is complicated when intelligence reveals that Marcus's beautiful sister Syd (Gabrielle Union), a fledgling undercover DEA agent from New York, has managed to infiltrate Tapia's operation and is well placed to take the kingpin down.

Romantic sparks fly between Mike and Syd, driving her overly protective brother to distraction.

Bad Boys II is one (very) long MTV music video, replete with snappy editing and slick camerawork which defies every law of physics.

Director Bay is in his element, showing off all of his favourite film school tricks.

Unfortunately, Bay doesn't understand that you can have too much of a good thing and he stretches some sequences out well past their natural length.

Smith and Lawrence ease back into their familiar roles, forever bickering with each other, and Joe Pantoliano is in scene-stealing form as the duo's beleaguered captain.

Predictable, noisy fun.

Rating: 6/10