The Bad Guys 2

Well you know that old saying about no good deed going unpunished. The guys are desperately trying to stay on the straight and narrow but someone is out to set them up. Their only route to salvation would appear to be to give up their new shiny haloes and start working with the dastardly “Kitty Kat” who has a cunning plan to turn a spaceship into a giant magnet that can collect all the gold from the face of the planet. Even the burgeoning romance that might (or might not) be going on between “Fox” and mayor “Diane” is unlikely to stop the police commissioner from getting them behind bars once again. They’ve got their work cut out for them, and as everyone knows - there’s no one scorned like a cat in heels! It reminded me a bit of one of the early “Mission Impossible” films, with the emphasis on the gadgets and the scenarios, but not really on the characterisations. Aside from a little wolf/fox mischief the whole thing just followed an all too predicable pattern of out of the pan into the fire escapades that can only ever really lead to “Bad Guys 3”. The animation is great and there is plenty of action, but I wasn’t overwhelmed by the originality of any of this and I couldn’t help but wish that they were just plain, out-and-out, bad again. All this goody-goody stuff changes the dynamic between the critters, and not in an enjoyable way. My own favourite, “Tarantula” doesn’t feature nearly enough and there’s also an awful lot of dialogue. I might just be desensitised to these animated crime capers now, but this just didn’t do anything for me. Sorry.

The Bad Guys 2 begins with a heist in Cairo, Egypt, five years prior, where we see how Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell) acquired his trademark black car. In the present day and after the events of the first film, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), and Ms. Tarantula/Webs (Awkwafina) all struggle to find jobs. They’ve all gone good and no longer pull off heists, but have recently been rumored to have gone bad again because a new thief known as the Phantom Bandit is framing them at every scene of the crime. Meanwhile, Mr. Snake (Marc Maron) is suspiciously happy, relaxed, and barely around.

Mr. Wolf and his friends are roped into one final job by a snow leopard named Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks) and her team, consisting of a Bulgarian wild boar engineer named Pigtail (Maria Bakalova) and a sarcastically deceitful raven named Doom (Natasha Lyonne). This new group of female criminals has dirt on current mayor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz), and Wolf will do everything he can to keep her safe, even if it means going back to prison.

The Bad Guys had killer animation and an incredible voice cast, but the issue was that the film was massively predictable, even if you didn’t read the books. The chemistry amongst the cast drove the film, but the humor was so-so. The animation was an incredible blend of 2D and 3D animation, and while the film’s style had similarities with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, visually, no other animated film looked like it.

As a sequel, The Bad Guys 2 expands on just about everything the original film did. While the animation is the same style, it explores vast new territories, whereas even something as simple as a car chase feels more impressive. The Cairo opening of the film (which is also Webs’s first job) features a car chase between The Bad Guys and what appears to be the entire Cairo police force. The chase includes driving on walls, releasing a bunch of caged chickens, driving in reverse in a roundabout, and the ent...

A pretty solid sequel compared to the first, which I only found okay. The animation is top-notch, the story is familiar but still a blast, and I loved the fun nods to Mission: Impossible, Lethal Weapon, and even Silence of the Lambs?!? And yes—the fart jokes actually hit. 💨🧑‍🚀

The gang of animated outlaws returns for “The Bad Guys 2,” a sequel that ups the ante with its sharper, more character-driven story. This time around, the film leans more toward a stylized crime caper than a mindless kiddie cartoon, resulting in a grittier, slightly darker tone than expected.

After spending years being very, very bad, criminals Wolf (voice of Sam Rockwell), Snake (voice of Marc Maron), Tarantula (voice of Awkwafina), Shark (voice of Craig Robinson), and Piranha (voice of Anthony Ramos) are trying to go straight. The group of friends soon learn that it’s not so easy to navigate a world that’s not keen on giving second chances. Despite their best efforts, their new “Good Guy” lives are quickly upended when they’re dragged back into the world of high-stakes heists by a slick all-female crew known as The Bad Girls. What unfolds is a globe-trotting mission full of twists, trust issues, and one very elaborate criminal scheme.

Thematically, the film has more on its mind than most animated fare. It explores whether true change is possible and honestly depicts the struggle to shed the labels of your past. There’s a surprising amount of emotional weight beneath all the action and antics, particularly in how the characters grapple with acceptance, identity, and redemption in a society that already has its mind made up about them.

The film visually delivers with stylish animation and action scenes that are fluid, fast, and impressively staged. The diverse voice cast is excellent across the board, breathing energy and nuance into the characters without slipping into caricature. These aren’t generic animated archetypes, but characters that are flawed, funny, and fully realized.

Of course, the movie does require a healthy suspension of disbelief. This is a world where talking animals and humans coexist without much explanation, and while the film doesn’t bother justifying it, most viewers probably won’t mind. Still, some of the more absurd plot element...

A lovely film, maybe even better than the first.

This movie basically shows quick-paced action scenes most of the time, even the very beginning, and from there it just gets more.

Like with the first one, if you want a comedic spin on heist movies, or the craziness that Fast and Furious turned into, this will be a movie for you.

Overly complicated heist plans, ridiculous action scenes and absolutely lovable characters, with very short breaks in the actions where you can, for example, follow the "Bad Guys" try to find new jobs with.

If you loved them in the first movie, you'll get more of it here.

Mostly comedy, there are serious situations and messages about caring for your friends, small twists, and several "WTF that's hilarious" moments, with characters that really care for each other.

Also, there's a small scene with a young Webs with braces! How can a spider be so cute?!

The antagonist seen in the trailer are all lovely new additions with their own, very distinct personalities. Also, Kitty is basically Tai Lung, so, that's cool.

On a tech side, which I can only barely judge really: Everything looks really nice with clean, quick animations and damn did I love the gold particle effects in one scene especially! The facial expression, like in the first movie, are really lovely as well.

So, yeah, definitely recommended! By far not as emotional heavy as movies like Coco and Toy Story 3, but hey, it's good for a chance ro just enjoy some happiness instead of wanting to cry in a comedy movie!

Go watch it!

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(To add to some of the other reviews on other sites: yes, so many hot characters! Kitty muscles, Diane thighs and Webs cuter than ever. 😁)