The Bad Guys 2: Movie Review

Cast: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Anthony Ramos, Craig Robinson, Zazie Beetz, Natasha Lyonne, Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova
Director: Pierre Perifel

In 2022, animation The Bad Guys was a soaraway hit.

A mix of 2D animation and 3D sensibility, the story of a group of criminals led by the Big Bad Wolf (Rockwell, channeling extreme charisma and laconic asides) proved to be a breath of fresh air that was needed at the movies.

Three years later, the sequel, which still has plenty of the frenetic edges that blessed the first, doesn't quite have the same staying power, but is still leaps and bounds ahead of what most animated fare has to offer.

This time around, with the gang struggling to find work as society refuses to accept they've changed, Wolf, Piranha, Snake, Shark and Tarantula find themselves forced into helping a group of female criminals, the Bad Girls, led by Brooks' Kitty, in an attempt to clear their own names when they're framed.

There's more than enough fun to be had in the controlled chaos that transpires on screen here and while most of it is once again held together by Rockwell's effortless charm, the film struggles with a bit of bloat in parts towards the back third.

Despite some superlative animation that takes place in space, the film's desire to leap around a lot means moments that are supposed to land emotionally don't quite get the heft they deserve and the struggle of trying to be reformed rapscallions outcast by society isn't quite the moral quandary that it could be.

But none of that really matters in truth. From going from an opening heist in Egypt to ending up in space, this is an animation that has as much ambitious scope as any project and while some of th Bad Guys end up with a little short shrift character-wise this time, the film's innate sense of contrived fun rises to the surface, ensuring audiences of all edges get more than enough out of what plays out.

Ending on a tease for a third film, The Bad Guys 2 more than deserves another outing - and while the key to any future success may be a little less of a manic touch, this breakneck-paced animation is still miles ahead of most of its kin - and as enjoyable as any family film should be.