(HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYBODY!!!)
QS stands for “Quickshot”, a series of short form review/preview/opinion articles.
Three paragraphs simply wasn’t enough! I just had to give myself the space of a full article (or, well, a Quickshot) to talk more about The Bad Guys! And this time, I can talk about both films!
The Bad Guys is an animated film made by DreamWorks Animation, and was released in 2022. The sequel came out just a few months ago, and there’s a third film currently being planned, but without many more concrete details than that.
The films are inspired by the children’s book series of the same name, though outside of the core premise, the differences are so vast that they are basically two entirely distinct franchises. Which I guess means that hardcore book lovers might be disappointed by the film adaptations, but in my opinion both can coexist without stepping on the others’ toes. And with films this good, really, what’s the loss?
The basic premise is that a group of anthropomorphic animals typically seen as villainous in popular media (a wolf, a shark, a snake, a spider, and a piranha) eagerly embrace their society-ascribed monikers and purposefully revel in being ‘bad guys‘. However, when Wolf gets a taste of what being good feels like, things start to change, and our motley crew’s situation becomes significantly more chaotic and unpredictable. Wacky shenanigans ensue!
The easiest thing to compare The Bad Guys to would be something like Ocean’s Eleven. The first film, in particular, is essentially a family animated movie version of a heist comedy, and the second film starts dipping a little bit into spy thriller. That means that these movies are filled with thrilling hijinks, shocking twists, and a whole bunch of high-octane action. And boy howdy is the animation style more than prepared to handle it.
One of The Bad Guys‘ single biggest strong points is its animation. These films are gorgeous to look at, and really push 3D animation outside of the comfort zone it so easily falls into in the hands of Disney or Pixar. A lot of this is because, hand-in-hand with the animation itself is a superb sense of style. These movies ooze style and charm in a way that most animated films can only hope for, managing to somehow convey incredible detail right alongside fluid and cartoonish displays of exaggerated, action-heavy movement.
The result is a pair of films that almost demand being rewatched simply because of how much you might miss on a first watch. From little background jokes to snappy character movements to subtle facial expressions during somber scenes…both of The Bad Guys flicks have it all. Thankfully, the films are such a blast to watch that you won’t mind giving each of them one or two rewatches…or a dozen!
I need to give a specific additional mention of just how good the action in these films are. DreamWorks has always done amazingly at action scenes (they did make the Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon franchises, after all), and The Bad Guys is no different. There’s a plethora of insane chase sequences both on-foot and in-car, and they are all a delight. And there’s also a handful of fight scenes too, and the choreography is a shockingly competent delight. The first film’s prison break and the second film’s climax are both pretty stunning in this regard.
And that second film’s climax…good golly. I briefly touched on it in my earlier article, and I don’t want to just give the whole thing away, but it’s so dang good. I think I had a big dumb smile on my face for the entire scene, as all the pieces of the story came together in one big beautiful and memorable conclusion filled with jokes and incredible action in equal measure.
And hey, speaking of the story (and by extension, the characters), that’s another area that The Bad Guys does a remarkable job with.
For as much as I just praised the animation and the action, my absolute favorite thing about the first film is the relationship between Wolf and Snake. I think I could watch a whole hour-and-a-half of just those two hanging out and talking to each other. Seriously, it’s crazy to find this in an animated family movie of all things, but the cold-open and closing scenes of the first film feel straight out of a Quentin Tarantino movie in terms of how well-written and natural the dialogue and performances are.
That is, perhaps, where the biggest divergence lies between the two films. The OG movie has a bit more emphasis on characters, while the sequel has a bit more emphasis on plot and action. Obviously, the first film still has an entertaining plot and good action, and the second film has some solid character moments (especially between Wolf and Diane). But each individual movie clearly had a priority in what they were trying to convey. And hey, it’s a good dynamic to have, using the first film to establish our cast and the sequel to flesh out the world and the stakes.
Touching more on the characters, though, and I have to say that they are all pretty solid. Sure, some of the supporting characters don’t exactly have any huge arcs or anything, but there’s no one in the cast who feels flat-out superfluous or unnecessary. Everyone has their charming quirks, and their moments to shine. Wolf makes for an awesome protagonist, Snake is similarly a really compelling character, and Diane and Chief Luggins are both fantastic sometimes-allies and sometimes-enemies that steal every scene they are in.
But speaking of scene stealing, the second film’s villain is a real highlight. I also touched on her a bit during my earlier article, but Kitty is such a compelling antagonist for the sequel. DreamWorks loves to push boundaries with their villains in their family movies, and Kitty is no exception. She’s charming, and she has her quirks, but she’s also terrifyingly menacing at more than a few moments during the film, leading to a villain you love to watch, and eagerly want to see taken down by our protagonists.
Continuing this little praise-train of The Bad Guys, both films are near-perfect in the audio department.
In terms of acting, there’s not a single shoddy performance to be found. Sam Rockwell is effortlessly charismatic and natural as Wolf, and Marc Maron’s gruff performance as Snake is just nuanced enough to see the heart-of-gold lurking under the cynical surface. Zazie Beetz brings a coy, playful warmth to Diane, and Alex Borstein is undeniably and hilarious manic as Chief Luggins.
And then soundtrack-wise, neither film misses in that department either. A selection of licensed songs fit the scenes they are played in perfectly. And then even more than that, the original score is composed by Daniel Pemberton, the genius behind scoring both Spiderverse films. So you can bet that the music is awesome and high-energy, filled with insane beats for each and every scene!
Honestly, there’s ultimately very little that I dislike about these movies. They aren’t perfect, obviously. One of the main core of characters (Piranha) has a gimmick of farting when he’s nervous, because of course he does in an animated movie like this. Two supporting antagonists in the sequel don’t get quite as much screentime as I would’ve liked (especially the one in particular). And there’s a tiny kernel inside my mind worried about where they’ll go from here in the third film, just given where things leave off at the sequel’s conclusion…and given how nuts the source material from the books becomes.
To sum up…give both of these movies a watch. Seriously, you won’t regret it.
Actually, I’d say that if you don’t watch these flicks, that makes you the ‘bad guy‘!
9.5/10 (Both of them get this score)
The Contrarian Corner 