Written by: Etan Cohen
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos
Rating: [3.5/5]
The animal kingdom has developed a natural order of predator versus prey that leaves each animal in its place experiencing each side of that particular coin. Despite this reality, there are some animals that have continually stood out as more villainous than others through the course of storytelling over the years. Utilizing this idea as a core brings us The Bad Guys, a fun new animated film that plays with the ideas of villains redeeming themselves and whether being good remains a possibility for them.
Known well for their villainous activities, the Bad Guys consist of pickpocket Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), safecracker Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), hacker Ms. Webs Tarantula (Awkwafina), master of disguise Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), and wild card Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos). During one of their heists, Mr. Wolf experiences the feeling of being good, which convinces him he and his friends have the possibility of turning over a new leaf and abandoning their life of crime. A transition some of his crew members do not agree with.
Seeing each animal selected in The Bad Guys, it makes sense given how each of these generally drives a level of fear in humans. Each one, through storytelling, has been centered as an animal deemed quite dangerous. From the big bad wolf to various shark films, we have here quite the collection of scary animals to display their villainhood with the possibility of redemption. An opportunity that sets off the events in this film that demonstrates that DreamWorks, as a studio, can still deliver something refreshingly entertaining through the use of some unique animation and a story worth telling.
In totality, The Bad Guys contains a simple premise that works itself in ways you can generally accept, but the more intriguing elements of the film lie in the world it creates. Rightfully drawing parallels to Zootopia, this film creates a world where animals and humans co-exist but the only animals on screen are principal characters. By and large, these animals exist in a human world where these humans seem fine with the reality of a few talking animals existing amongst them. There’s a strangeness to this component that adds to the fun on display, and this bit of absurdity falls right in line with the rest of the film.
There’s a distinct slickness to this film in seeing how these characters navigate their villainhood. In moments it feels like we’re watching Ocean’s Eleven in the specialty of each of these villains in the way they can pull off heists, but also a distinct silliness to it. Yes, we have the pickpocket and the hacker as seen in various heist films, but then we have Mr. Shark, who despite being a shark that towers over everyone, can essentially operate as a chameleon with various disguises. An absolute absurdity but one that very much aligns with the tone of the film and the comedy it seeks to exhibit throughout the narrative.
At its core, this film’s look at the redeemability of criminals like these characters and whether they have the capability to change their ways for the good. This film surprisingly tackles how this exists not only as an inward journey but also an outward one, with a fair bit of public relations playing into interesting dynamics that get played out. These particular moments provide the substance that helps elevate this film to more than just a silly caper but rather something with a bit more to explore and say. The best animated films manage to capture this particular balance, and The Bad Guys hit the right chords in checking each of these boxes to deliver something worthwhile.
Employing a fun group of voice actors, some silly comedy, and also a bit of substance, The Bad Guys proves that while DreamWorks does not always hit lately, it still can bring us something meaningful as it did here. We take a simple concept of bad guys wanting to turn over a new leaf and redeem themselves and thread together an entertaining heist story to piece it all together. The animation on display provides a distinct visual appeal to the film that adds a texture to the actions of these animals along with a human design that falls right in line with the silliness this feature seeks to evoke for all of our entertainment.
Films with Josh 
