The Bad Guys 2: A Lateral Sequel Offering More of The Same

2022’s The Bad Guys, based on the book series by Aaron Blabey, proved to be a surprise hit and helped expand the catalogue of DreamWorks Animation. And whenever a major studio has a hit new IP on their hands, they produce more even more content, hence The Bad Guys 2, a sequel to the original film. Offering a different perspective, making ‘bad guys’ the protagonists, their transition over the course of the first film should have come as no surprise to audiences but inevitably, the next question is where do The Bad Guys go from here? In reality, their transition had a nuance to it as reputations could be a hard think to shake, especially theirs. Trying to be good after being so bad for so long, there is a transition as Wolf (Rockwell), Snake (Maron), Shark (Robinson), Piranha (Ramos), and Tarantula (Awkwafina) had to each figure out what that meant. That dash of existentialism certainly made for an interesting added layer to the proceedings. Unwittingly finding themselves in yet another caper, the crew, this time around, were left at a crossroads. While not quite the surprise that the original film was, the sequel delivers an entertaining caper, albeit one that fails to move the characters forward as their new caper takes focus away from their development.

As mentioned, The Bad Guys 2 sees the titular group continue their journey towards being good. After having taken responsibility for their actions by going to prison and doing their time, they now found themselves released back into the world. However, reintegrating into society would be easier said than done, given their notorious reputation. In the end, to get back in the good graces of the people, The Bad Guys would need to prove themselves by giving the world a reason why they should trust them again. With the odds seemingly stacked against them, doubt slowly began to creep in as hope of new lives waned. Not helping their cause was the Phantom Bandit, a new bad guy who recently came on to the scene. Using past Bad Guys tricks, the bandit successfully diverted suspicion away from themself and on to them, thus putting a damper on their attempts to become good guys. That being said, the bandit presented an opportunity to aid their image. Forging a fragile alliance with Commissioner Misty Luggins (Alex Borestein) to try to find and expose the Phantom Bandit, the Bad Guys were framed for the Phantom Bandit’s crimes.

As is often the case, there was more to that story as the Phantom Bandit was merely the first part of the Bag Girls’ plan and a ruse for whom the real bad guys in this case wanted, the old Bad Guys. Captured by a group known as the Bad Girls, another group of criminals led by Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks), Doom (Natasha Lyonne), and Pigtail Petroya (Maria Bakalova). Needing the services of the Bad Guys for their biggest heist yet, this clearly went against their intentions of becoming good guys, but Kitty and the Bad Girls had a plan for that, threatening to out the now Governor Diane Foxington’s (Zazie Beetz) past to ensure their cooperation. That being said, the girls were criminals and inherently could not be trusted, however, Wolf was sure to always have an angle so their working relationship could be described as tenuous at best. Attempting to steal a rocket ship, their plan was to use it to steal the world’s gold, but the tension between both groups of criminals put that in jeopardy. As the climax took the Bad Guys and the Bad Girls to outer space, the higher the stakes rose, the deeper the divide widened. Saving the day, the film takes an interesting turn in terms of its characters moving forward.

On the technical side, DreamWorks Animation delivers yet again with a beautifully animated film that is a step up from the original. Serving up more characters, more action, and outer space, it provides plenty for audiences as it, for the most part, runs at a quick enough pace to keep everyone engaged, despite being a bit bogged down in the middle. Not as much of a step up story-wise, sharing the limelight with the new Bad Girls characters, the sequel arguably does not feature as many hijinks involving the Bad Guys or their personalities to shine, but the strength of the returning and new cast help to soften its narrative issues.

Overall, The Bad Guys 2 is a solid sequel that offers audiences more of the same, for better or worse, but the cast, both returning and new, deliver fun performances.

still courtesy of Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Animation

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

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.