Was there too much emphasis on comedy in this one when compared to the previous three?

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/10hy2pr/comment/j5cjkw9/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

The first LW movie was a dark, gritty movie with glimmers of hope that dealt with serious topics like suicide and grief. But then it slowly shifted out of that in the next two sequels by injecting it with comedy here and there. By the fourth movie it fully indulged into the comedy side and the tone was all over the place like a soap opera with it's many unnecessary side plots. After awhile the comedy can become cringe worthy although admittedly it was funny at times.

Jet Li was a huge highlight along with the hard hitting action scenes and those saved the movie. I truly believed that he was going to kill them both in the end. But the stakes of the movie compared to other LW movies felt forced. The other LW movies had extremely personal motives to both Riggs and Murtaugh. With this one, Jet Li and his Triad crew just want to take back some refugees that Murtaugh quietly hid in secret for a counterfeit money laundering scheme.

Plus Riggs and Murtaugh don't take Jet Li and the other Triads so seriously as oppose to the other villains in the previous installments. Murtaugh is upset that his house was burnt down by the Triads with everyone trapped inside and that the immigrant patriarch was found murdered. But he is never as enraged as he was in the previous movies at the villains just upset. Both Riggs and Murtaugh know what Jet Li and his crew are capable of and they still treat him as a joke by cracking wise marks like it's a standup routine.

I don't hate this movie and find it extremely enjoyable as I can absolute relate to your sentiments. But I can understand why it got bad reviews when I look at it through that context.