Review: The Bad Guys (2022)

The Bad Guys

Rating

Director

Pierre Perifel

Screenplay

Etan Cohen, Yoni Brenner, Hilary Winston

Length

1h 40m

Starring

Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Alex Borstein, Lilly Singh

MPAA Rating

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Review

Unlike Disney’s Zootopia, the anthropomorphized animals of DreamWorks’ The Bad Guys coexist in a world filled with humans. Like Disney’s film, the audience is asked to look beyond the natures of its animal stars and see something beyond the stereotypes. Its success is in finding a strong vocal cast who can embody both the negative and positive aspects of each character’s personality and present them to the viewer as deep, flawed individuals hemmed in by prejudice and expectations.

Sam Rockwell voices the leader of the pack. As Wolf, it’s his job as the head of the team to plan the heists they will execute. He employs his vicious personality to connive and convince his victims. Snake (Marc Maron) is his best friend and the stealth expert of the group whose ability to slither into and through any situation is almost as unrivaled as that of Tarantula (Awkwafina). She is the team’s hacker and is equally adept at getting into places covertly so that she can control the electronic devices that would otherwise be the team’s undoing. Shark (Craig Robinson) is somehow the team’s master of disguise who can take on any role and shockingly dupe his targets despite the obviousness of his appearance. Rounding out the team is Anthony Ramos as Piranha, the blood-thirsty muscle of the group who takes the reins when things require brute force rather than subtlety.

This team is one of the most notorious groups of bad guys in the city and their opening sequence, pursued by Police Chief Misty Luggins (Alex Borstein), is a cross-city chase that leaves destruction in its wake, infuriating the Chief and ensuring the team’s escape. Their next goal is to attempt to steal the Golden Dolphin Award that will be presented to philanthropist guinea pig Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade) by the state’s governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz), a literal Fox who has managed to overcome her species’ reputation and become a pinnacle to the human citizens of the state.

As a heist film, there aren’t a lot of expectations to subvert and that built-in familiarity helps sell the incidents in the film. The Bad Guys (their actual team name) attempt to turn their reputations around as a ploy to steal the Golden Dolphin at a later date. The animation is computer generated, but employs the blackened outlines common to cell-based animation, creating an interesting and nostalgic mix that defines and embellishes the art of the film. Not dissimilar to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse‘s successful blend of 3D animation and comic book coloration styles, The Bad Guys‘ use isn’t as effective, but it sets the film apart from its contemporaries well enough.

It’s an enjoyable film with plenty for young kids to be entertained by and providing adults just enough surface level intrigue to keep them engaged. The humor is sometimes quite juvenile, but who doesn’t enjoy well executed fart jokes? The Bad Guys is a satisfying and engaging animated picture that won’t advance the idea that animation can be used for more than just amusing kids.