The Bad Guys 2, 2025.
Directed by Pierre Perifel.
Featuring the voice talents of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova, Natasha Lyonne, Zazie Beetz, Richard Ayoade, Alex Borstein, Lilly Singh, Omid Djalili, Colin Jost, Jaime Camil, Katherine Ryan, and Jorge R. Gutierrez.
SYNOPSIS:
The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do “one last job” by an all-female squad of criminals.
Picking up where its predecessor left off, the flashy, action-and-joke packed, charming, deeper-than-usual (for kids) The Bad Guys 2 follows its quintet of former thieves—consisting of Mr. Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (voiced by Marc Maron), Ms. Tarantula (voiced by Awkwafina), Mr. Shark (voiced by Craig Robinson), and Mr. Piranha (voiced by Anthony Ramos)– trying and struggling to stay good, primarily for reasons that are not their fault but more society’s treatment of reformed individuals. Introduce a new criminal heist team appropriately dubbed The Bad Girls — renegade snow leopard Kitty Kat (voiced by Danielle Brooks), muscle Pigtail (voiced by Maria Bakalova), and mind games expert Doom (voiced by Natasha Lyonne), the question then becomes what if the luxurious life of crime is the best The Bad Guys will have ever had.
Driving around in a busted vehicle, the once arrogant and cunning Mr. Wolf isn’t having much luck with job hunting. Yes, it doesn’t help that he is applying to work at a bank he robbed (one of the movie’s funnier jokes, ruined in the inescapable trailers and TV spots), but there is also an indisputable stigma against them from the likes of Police Chief/Governor Misty Luggins (voiced by Alex Borstein) and nearly everyone the group looks to for honest work. And while Mr. Wolf remains friendly with Governor Diane Foxington (voiced by Zazie Beetz), a former thief herself having framed the first film’s evil genius villain Professor Rupert Marmalade IV (voiced by Richard Ayoade in a returning small part) for her past, he starts wondering if they will only ever be friends, with a crushing blow potentially leaving the door open to tempt him back into his old ways. That past also comes into play in what could have gone further and made for a good teaching moment about accountability for kids, but it is nonetheless still worthwhile.
Perhaps this sounds like a lot for children to take in, but much like the first film, director Pierre Perifel (working alongside co-director JP Sans, with a screenplay from Yoni Brenner and Etan Cohen, based on the books by Aaron Blabey), wrap the messaging up in something endearing and fun, meaning the material goes down without feeling like an obnoxious lecture. The messaging here also remains unique (much more so than the usual “be yourself” lesson that recent animated features have driven into the ground) with a stacked voiceover ensemble of recognizable names delivering genuinely resonant performances.
Even the action is epic in scale with stakes higher than expected, elevated by a score from modern great Daniel Pemberton that swells and intensifies in ways features like this rarely do. Although there is still occasional lowbrow humor to maintain the attention spans of the youngest viewers, the story and themes are mature enough for anyone to latch onto. There is also some pleasantly welcome adult-minded humor, with Mr. Snake apparently having a fetish for manipulation or blackmail because the behavior out-snakes a snake, or a hilariously dark smash cut that is sure to upset some younger viewers until all is explained. These characters are also placed into inventive danger, where they must be equally creative to escape.
Admittedly, The Bad Guys 2 also feels like a retread of the first film, as the titular group is pulled into one last job for reasons that won’t be spoiled here, which is mildly disappointing since some of the more amusing and inspiring material comes in the first act, watching the crew trying to adjust to this new lifestyle. It’s almost as if the filmmakers don’t trust that it would have made for an entertaining movie, especially given the tacked-on flashback prologue that seems to exist solely to provide viewers with more theft. With that said, it remains impressive that the filmmakers consistently make each member feel like a fleshed-out character rather than just another talking animal. Couple that with vibrant visuals, an energetic ensemble, and topical themes, and one has another good Bad Guys animated feature.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
