The Bad Guys are a quintet of five traditionally bad animals: Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Tarantula (Awkwafina), Snake (Marc Maron), Shark (Craig Robinson), and Pirhana (Anthony Ramos). Originally a children’s graphic novel series by Aaron Blabey, a feature film about them was made in 2022 and The Bad Guys 2 follows shortly after the events of the prior movie as they struggle to find honest work after having chosen to be good guys.
Buy The Bad Guys 2 Collector’s EditionHowever, they are kidnapped by a trio of bad girls, Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks), Pigtail Petrova (Maria Bakalova), and Doom (Natasha Lyonne). The girls blackmail the Bad Guys into helping them steal a rocket or they will reveal video footage of Governor Diane Foxington’s secret criminal identity of the Crimson Paw. Since Wolf still has feelings for Diane, they agree, leading to a few sequences that bring to mind the Ocean’s 11 and Mission:Impossible series.
First, they have to steal the smartwatch off Mr. Moon and do so at his wedding, which is no easy task but stealing is what they are good at. Naturally, the bad girls turn on the Bad Guys, framing them and setting them up to be captured by the police. The only way to prove their innocence is to capture the girls, which is made difficult after they take off in Mr. Moon’s rocket, but the Bad Guys are nothing if not resourceful. In space, they learn of the bad girls’ ultimate plan, which is a tad confusing as to what they will do if successful, but the Bad Guys do their best to stop them.
The video has been given a HVEC/H.265 encoded transfer presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Colors are vivid and pop with intention. Whites are bright and blacks inky, contributing to a strong contrast. Texture detail is fine when intended. For example, the dirt and dings on Wolf’s car are readily apparent, but Wolf’s gray fur isn’t made up hairs but smudges of gray.
The Dolby Atmos track is immersive. Dialogue is always clear. Effects and ambiance fill the surrounds with objects placed and moving about channels. The songs add to the bombast of the action sequences. The bass delivers strong support, though it does rattle its case at times.
The Bonus Features are:
- Audio Commentary with Director Pierre Perifel, Co-Director JP Sans, Head of Character Animation Benjamin Willis, Head of Story Katherine de Vries, and Head of Cinematography, Layout Théophile Bondoux
- Little Lies and Alibis (6 min) – The Bad Guys explain their tardiness to their parole officer.
- Deleted Scenes (6 min) – Two deleted scenes are included with introductions from director Pierre Perifel and co-director JP Sans.
- Bad Guys: Out of Line (2 min) – Viewers get to see cast recording dialogue.
- Double Jeopardy: The Making of Bad Guys 2 (5 min) – A brief look at movie with the cast and crew whose interviews make up a few of these featurettes.
- Meet the Gang (8 min)–Same group talk about their characters and performing.
- Double Trouble: The Animals Behind The Bad Guys 2(9 min)– The cast meets animals of their characters.
- Causing a Scene (5 min)–A look at the different stages in creating an action scene.
- Planning a Heist (10 min) – Perifel and Sans reveal how the Lucha belt heist scene was created.
- Sketching the Bad Girls (11 min) – A how-to draw Kitty, Doom, and Pigtail.
Like the previous movie, The Bad Guys 2 succeeds because at the core of the screenplay by Yoni Brenner and Etan Cohen it’s about a family of misfits who care about each other. The characters are fun and engaging, brought to life by the talented cast. Also, the story features numerous plot twists as the groups trick one another, and the audience. The movie is packed with frenetic action sequences where every frame is jam packed with detail. Whether a fan of the first movie or not, The Bad Guys 2 is an entertaining action movie the whole family can enjoy together.
