Next up on our list for reviews this month is my The Bad Guys review which is directed by Pierre Perifel and stars Sam Rockwell, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina and more.

Synopsis

After a lifetime of legendary heists, notorious criminals Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark and Ms. Tarantula are finally caught. To avoid a prison sentence, the animal outlaws must pull off their most challenging con yet — becoming model citizens. Under the tutelage of their mentor, Professor Marmalade, the dubious gang sets out to fool the world that they’re turning good.

No doubt Universal wants to start a new franchise with The Bad Guys which was based on a book written by Aaron Blabey and they are totally rich with the source material.

Did they get it? Partially. I can say they are on to something. And they do love this one strategy where they just throw you all things “Bad Guys” until you find yourself becoming a fan, just look at the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise and how many things it spawned.

The voice cast they chose were great. It had the right balance of A-Listers and talented comedians. Sam Rockwell plays Wolf aka the Big Bad Wolf who starts off as an irredeemable bad guy but goes through a catharsis by the end.

The rest of the crew lend not just their voices but also their personality like Awkwafina’s manic energy and Craig Robinson’s dumb as a brick but lovable all the same and even comedian Marc Maron lends gravitas as his character Snake.

The first scene for the film also does a good reference to the classic opening of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. While its an easter egg, it also helps set the tone for the animated feature. While the last scene really reminds me of Baby Driver.

Visual

Visually speaking I love the new animation style which is a mix of CGI and some animated backgrounds. Or maybe its purely CGI but done with a cell shaded finish. Either way I liked it, it helped the scenes become more sporadic and dynamic and it helps the kids get stuck in their seats for a good hour and a half.

Character Design

Gotta hand it to creative team for giving good design for our boy Wolf and ok designs for the rest. Particularly liked Snake’s design because he reminded me of one of the protagonists in GTA V.

Music

Musical score was good and while I appreciate the music and songs, its a little too excentric for my taste. Not as catchy as how James Gunn would do it or even like how Minions or “Despicable Me” did it. But its totally OK.

Humor

The Bad Guys’ type of humor can be hit or miss. But my daughter laughed a lot so its definitely designed for kids aged 5 and above. Some jokes can go way past people evidenced by me laughing at one scene while the rest of the audience I saw it with kind of gave the crickets sound effect. But again, this is a kid’s movie so physical comedy and slapstick comedy is the way to go.

Plot

It was super easy to guess what was happening and piece it with the film’s third act. Obviously I won’t spoil but it was totally fun to figure it out. Its a safe plot twist for kids without really leaving them scratching their heads.

The Bad Guys Review – Verdict

7/10

Not a bad start and hopefully they do a sequel and they pull out all the stops. The humors hit or miss, the music could have done better and the visuals were super fun to look at. Sam Rockwell and Zazie Beetz definitelty brought their charm in this while Marc Maron strengthens his acting and comedic chops.

Special thanks to Universal Pictures!

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