Introduction
I was struck while watching Pierre Perifel’s The Bad Guys 2. Frankly, I was surprised to find that I was enjoying it as much as I was. Crafted with a clear visual style, crackling energy, and smart humor, the film is much more than your typical cash-grab sequel of a surprise animated hit.
When I reviewed the original, I noted how the film didn’t try to do too much thematically. It was a simple nature vs. nurture argument but with a laid-back voice cast and smart visuals. This time around, the filmmakers expand their thematic intent while maintaining a playful tone.
It would be one thing to add thematic and lose your target audience (kids and their parents). Instead, these themes only enhance the film’s impact while still including well-placed fart jokes. There is a place for both, and the film knows exactly where to deploy them.
Synopsis
The titular group of Bad Guys return from the first film, newly released from prison and attempting to stay on the straight and narrow. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Shark (Craig Robinson), Tarantula (Awkwafina), and Piranha (Anthony Ramos) can’t find gainful employment, while Snake (Marc Maron) seems to be thriving, adopting an alternative lifestyle with yoga and dance classes. Governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz) has also retired from crime as the famous Crimson Paw.
When a new group of thieves begins stealing valuable artifacts, the Bad Guys are initially to blame. Chief…I mean, Commissioner Misty Luggins (Alex Borstein) asks the Bad Guys for help, only for the group to be captured by the Bad Girls, led by Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks). The Bad Girls force the group to perform “one last job” at the threat of exposing Diane’s criminal past.
Themes/Style
Much like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, this film is greatly helped by a lack of expectations. In both cases, the film’s opening entry was fairly well-received, financially successful, but lacking in substance. In both cases, the sequel raises those expectations exponentially. Just like The Last Wish, The Bad Guys 2 takes pretty weighty themes for a kids’ film and still doesn’t lose any impact or humor.
This time around, the subject is the rehabilitation of ex-convicts. Despite their authentic efforts to be good, the system itself (along with human nature) conspires to assume the worst in the group. That’s not a small thing to convey in a kid’s film.
All of that doesn’t work unless the film is fun, and boy, is it all kinds of fun. The film’s opening sequence is a flashback to the group’s first successful heist of a car, which causes all sorts of chaos. As they drive away, the action cuts to the present day as Wolf drives his barely functioning sedan to a job interview.
It’s a perfect way to keep the audience on their toes, ground the reality of the group, hit the ground running, and manage expectations. This will not be a carbon copy retread of the first film. We are in for something completely different. And different it is.
Cast
The voice cast continues their excellent work from the first film, with Rockwell leading the way. Brooks’ devious growl adds layers to Kitty’s persona without being a direct retread of the actress’s voice. Maria Bakalova and Natasha Lyonne add fun wrinkles to Kitty’s henchmen as well.
I have to give props to my favorite voice actor of the bunch in Borstein. Though a well-established voice actor from Family Guy, she gives Commissioner Luggins extra depth and humor with her sharp tone and definitive pitch. No actor does more than they need to. They all fit well into the ensemble for their characters.
Conclusion
If The Bad Guys 2 is an example of the type of studio sequels that we can expect to get from animated films, I say the more the merrier. It’s the best animated sequel since Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
