The Bad Guys – A Promising New Animated Property

Sometimes it’s good to be bad but there is often more to that story. That’s not exactly new in terms of animated children’s films themes. With a title like The Bad Guys, some may have misconceptions about it on paper. The film is not quite about guys who are bad but rather guys who are misunderstood. It’s a children’s film at the end of the day. Though the story may more or less not be new, it succeeds with its execution. Boasting a stellar cast and some great animation, the film is a surprisingly entertaining watch that is sure to resonate with audiences of all ages. In spite of treading familiar ground, its fun characters and the sense of camaraderie between them is definitely a highlight. Running at a lean 100 minutes, the film doesn’t wear out its welcome while creating an interesting world with memorable characters with backstories that could perhaps be expanded upon in further adaptations dependent on the success of this film of course. Granted, it does have all the right pieces to be a success if everything else goes right.

As mentioned, The Bad Guys takes place in a world where humans and animals live alike and is about a group of criminals given the original moniker of The Bad Guys following a successful string of robberies amongst other petty crimes, always staying ahead of the authorities. Living primarily on the dark side, their reputation struck fear in the eyes of anyone who dared to stand in their path. Led by Wolf (Rockwell), the team looked for a big score to repair their tarnished reputation, stealing the infamous Golden Dolphin Award from a guinea pig philanthropist Professor Rupert Marmalade IV (Richard Ayoade). A prize that has eluded countless others who have tried to steal it in the past, they believed that it was their greatest shot at immortality. Faced with the temptation of what life on the other side could be like, this proved to be the beginning of the end for them. Or at least that’s what it seemed like. 

Despite a taste of what a good life could be, it would be hard to accept it and start to change their ways. Given one last chance to reform their image and embrace the good side, they found themselves under the tutelage of Marmalade who made them their latest project. This resulting arc was where the film truly shined as Wolf, Snake (Maron), Tarantula (Awkwafina), Shark (Robinson), and Piranha (Ramos) figured out the good side together. Though this part of the film could have been longer, they were still fun to watch as they had their ups and downs along the way but that being said, not everyone was on the same page thus could threaten their once strong relationship. Ultimately, it was through adversity that threatened their shared reputation once again that would strengthen that bond and bring them back together. Betrayed, they needed to put their skills towards a nobler cause and clear their names in order to ensure their future. The stakes were high if the ridiculous yet exciting climax was of any indication. It was merely the epitome of the strong writing and chemistry between the characters. 

For an animated film, the animation throughout The Bad Guys was very strong, from the characters and their many quirks and abilities, including animals and humans, to the environments. Each character brought their own skills to the table, not necessarily based on which kind of animal they were. Subverting expectations, the film utilized all of the group members in inventive and fun ways that just fit together. However, what truly brought these characters to life were the performances from its stellar cast who all fit in their roles and play off of one another nicely. Rockwell as Wolf, Robinson as Shark, Ramos as Piranha, and Ayoade as Marmalade were the definite standouts.

Overall, The Bad Guys is a nice surprise and a promising property that is a pure blast and teaches a good lesson.

still courtesy of Dreamworks Animation

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.