The Bad Guys 2 is safe and overly familiar, but with an animation style this gorgeous and an eccentricity this charming, it’s hard not to be at least a little entertained by its unabashed energy.
2022’s The Bad Guys was a colourful, vibrant DreamWorks picture whose charms sadly got overshadowed by the other, and, frankly, better DreamWorks picture of 2022 – Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Yet its zany humour, charismatic voice cast, and surprisingly touching themes on redemption made it quite the eye-popping piece of entertainment. Its sequel, The Bad Guys 2, is more of the same – solid, good-natured fun with an occasional thematic twist. Sometimes that’s all one needs from a trip to the movies.
Following the events of the first film, the notorious heisters, The Bad Guys – anthropomorphic animals living in a human-inhabited world – have undergone rehabilitation and are now ready to re-enter society. Yet, their past reputations make it harder for them to find honest work, as depicted by various failed job interviews. These sequences are humorous but carry an undercurrent with pathos, as the leader, Mr Wolf (Sam Rockwell), wonders whether they will ever be accepted. The sudden appearance of a mysterious criminal, nicknamed The Phantom Bandit, only adds to the uncertainty, as citizens ponder whether The Bad Guys were involved.
After a small investigation in pursuit of the Phantom Bandit, The Bad Guys are approached by another heist crew – The Bad Girls, led by snow leopard Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks). Using blackmail and a threat against The Bad Guys’ ally, recently elected Governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz), The Bad Guys are roped into one last job. This job will test The Bad Guys’ newly found morality, as temptation and rejection threaten to lead them astray.
Like its predecessor, the film borrows a lot from the Spider-Verse films in its animated style. Bright colours, rapid movements and a lack of restraint on its more cartoonish qualities define the look and feel of the picture. This occasionally threatens to enter the realms of sensory overload as the film frequently throws a barrage of loud jokes and flashing colours at the audience. Yet there is no denying the enthusiastic oddities of this approach, the eccentric style matching the delightfully peculiar characters and the excessive plot wonderfully. The combination of 3D models and camerawork, paired with 2D textures and drawings for finer details, such as smoke or fire, gives the film a crisp, spritely look, resulting in vivacious set pieces and thrilling action. Climactic sequences involving a rocket launch and then a space station are particularly jaw-dropping in their use of spectacle and imagery, generating intensity and awe in equal measure. That the film takes its time to set up the story gives the audience room to breathe amid the visual rambunctiousness.
Sharp, even unrelenting, humour matches the visual feasts. In keeping its target audience of families and children in mind, the comedy is often silly and bizarre yet always energised. Much of the humour is built on the character personalities, such as the mannerisms of Mr Shark (Craig Robinson), which are much more timid and panicky than his brawly look. Slapstick and clever wordplay space out the eccentricities, maintaining a brisk pace that never overwhelms even as it teeters on the edge of doing so. At times, the film even showcases a self-aware nod to its own plot structure and contrivances: The Bad Guys discover that The Bad Girls are after a rare substance amusingly named “MacGuffinite”. Details like this reveal that there’s method to the madness of what’s on screen, as the film propels a lot at you, yet maintains a joyful, if explosive streamlining to its craft and comedy.
(from left) Shark (Craig Robinson), Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Commissioner Luggins (Alex Borstein), Tarantula (Awkwafina) and Wolf (Sam Rockwell) in DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys 2, directed by Pierre Perifel.
For all its quirkiness, however, the film harbours rather compelling, if somewhat underexplored sentiments. With The Bad Guys now being tested on their supposed goodness, the film examines the complexities of morality and earnest redemption. The Bad Guys may have saved the day last time, but to many people, they still have to prove themselves worthy of the respect or forgiveness they want. It’s an interesting idea that serves as the crutch of the emotional conflict between Mr Wolf and Kitty Kat. One good deed does not necessarily act as a blanket form of forgiveness; it’s showing how your character has changed that really counts. It’s thought-provoking material, especially for younger audiences, yet it sadly cannot fully dissect the complexities of this without compromising the pacing. Concepts such as the lingering prejudice that can remain against even rehabilitated ex-convicts are put on the back burner in favour of the comedy, while the lack of diverse opinions regarding society’s attitude to them among The Bad Guys does somewhat suck the individuality out of each of the characters.
Tying it altogether is an effervescent voice cast that happily embraces the script’s chaos. Rockwell is as charismatic as ever, playing particularly well off of Beetz and Awkwafina’s Ms Tarantula. Danielle Brooks is a scene-stealer as always, adding gravitas as well as sly fiendishness to the role of Kitty Kat. In contrast, Richard Ayoade’s Professor Marmalade was a sore spot in the previous film, with Ayoade’s voice work being grating and unconvincing. He reappears here for an extended cameo, and his voice acting still needs work, but the briefness of his appearance keeps this from being too much of an issue. The cast’s combined efforts elevate the springy narrative and humour to underpin the entertainment factor that keeps the wheels of this picture greased.
The Bad Guys 2 is safe and overly familiar, but with an animation style this gorgeous and an eccentricity this charming, it’s hard not to be at least a little entertained by its unabashed energy. It’s colourful and playfully silly, with the occasional bit of thematic meat to its animated bones. That the film is more of the same makes it a benign, enjoyable feature, but ultimately nothing that special when compared to the best of DreamWorks’ catalogue. Nevertheless, in a time when children are often forced to consume lazy, patronising, and trite content, such as the recent Smurfs movie, films like The Bad Guys 2 are welcome bursts of popcorn fun.
The Bad Guys 2 is now showing in selected cinemas nationwide.
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