The Bad Guys, the newest from DreamWorks Animation, comes barreling in with its thrilling opening sequence – driving with rowdy energy and visual flair. And even though it can’t keep that same sort of momentum throughout, that doesn’t prevent this crime caper animation from stealing your heart. Based on the New York Times best-selling book series, Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) are a notorious yet nefarious crew of thieves who have been at the top of their game for a long time. However, when they’re finally nabbed, the only way to avoid prison time is to do the unthinkable: go good.
At the start, Mr. Wolf and the gang have no intent of holding up their end of the deal with Mayor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz). They’ll just play along as they’re being coached by a perfectly upstanding guinea pig named Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade) to water their inner goodness so it can blossom. However, with a single wag of the tail and finally gaining the acceptance from those who have long been terrified of him, for Mr. Wolf – there’s real change in the air. The rest of the Bad Guys start to sense it as well and not all are taking too kindly to this new feeling. Things quickly go back to the way they were though when they’re framed for stealing a glowing meteorite (or the butt rock if that sounds cooler). Now they must put their mischievous talents to the test like never before in an effort to reverse their bad reputations for good.
There’s a huge appreciation for heist flicks that director Pierre Perifel brings to his first feature. We’re pretty much watching a furry and scaly Ocean’s movie. A nice touch for sure, yet what we see is still rather predictable on top of the story constantly trying to recapture the vigor that was set early on. At least the effort is there. Perifel also gathers a stellar voice cast who are living it up while delivering messages about being misunderstood and second chances to all ages. Something the entire family can enjoy, The Bad Guys refuse to come up empty handed, delivering the goods with fun, wit, and lustrous animation with a style all its own.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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