Director: Pierre Perifel
Writer: Etan Cohen
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Anthony Ramos, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz
Synopsis: Several reformed yet misunderstood criminal animals attempt to become good, with some disastrous results along the way.
Early on in the film Sam Rockwell’s suave and fourth-wall-breaking Mr. Wolf utters the line, “… I’m the big bad Wolf, the villain of every story,” and it couldn’t be more true if it tried. Throughout history, fairy tales and fables have used the “Big Bad Wolf” as the main villain for their stories. Whether he’s trying to fool Little Red Riding Hood or blow down the three little piggies’ houses, this cunning and predatory creature has been used as a metaphor for danger as long as stories have been told.
Like Mr. Wolf, the rest of his crew are made up of creatures who have never quite been given their fair share. Mr. Wolf’s crew of “Bad Guys” are made up of his best friend Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), the tech-whiz Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), the master of disguise and diversions Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), and finally the aggressive and gassy Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos). After being called out by Governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz), the “Bad Guys” attempt to steal the seemingly unattainable Golden Dolphin trophy that is being presented to the model humanitarian Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade). However, when Mr. Wolf, for the first time in his life, feels what it’s like to be seen as a “good guy,” he attempts to turn another leaf and leave the bad guy life behind.
Similar to Disney’s 2012 film Wreck-it-Ralph, The Bad Guys pegs the question: What if we don’t have to be “bad guys?” The story of this film basically follows the emotional quote spoken by Ralph at the end of that film, “I’m bad, and that’s good. I will never be good, and that’s not bad. There’s no one I’d rather be than me.” What if these bad guys can use what makes them bad to ultimately make them good? What this film tries to get across is that people are not inherently born good or bad, and you can’t judge a book by its cover because you never know who someone truly is until you know them. It’s not an idea that is too difficult to grasp, but it is one that can be applied to every aspect of life.
Everyone knows Disney is animation. They have been around the longest, and they, both Disney Animation and Pixar, have built a reputation that can only be matched by very few. DreamWorks Animation, founded in the mid-90s, attempted to give the animation behemoth a run for its money, and for a while, they were doing it. DreamWorks was becoming the studio for animation, but over the past decade or so their films couldn’t quite connect the same way as they once did. This paved the way for studios like Sony Animation – mostly projects led by Phil Lord and Chris Miller – to fill the spot left by DreamWorks to compete with Disney. Sony Animation has been able to do this by changing the definition of what an animated film can be.
For an incredibly long time, the boundaries of animation were restricted to primarily 2D animation. Over the years, the boundaries of what can be done have been pushed and changed, and that’s where The Bad Guys excel the most. This is the first film released by DreamWorks in quite some time that really attempts to be more creative with their animation. Throughout the film, The Bad Guys take various animation styles and meld them into one which let the film become one of the more visually appealing outings from the studio. There are traditional 2D and 3D animations, but there are also moments throughout which you feel like you are watching a comic book or an anime. The flashy shifts in visual style should be something that keeps the viewer, no matter the age, engaged with what is happening on the screen.
While the heists themselves may be visually appealing, similar to the themes of the film, they aren’t that thought-provoking and remain fairly restrained and straightforward throughout. This ease of access allows for kids watching the movie to not be overwhelmed by the complexities of certain heists, but as an adult, you can’t help but wish it was a little less on the nose. Although, between every fart joke in the movie there are also well-placed homages to classic heist cinema, including a pretty well pulled off George Clooney reference.
Ultimately, what The Bad Guys boils down to is a lot of fun. The heists and themes are easy enough for kids and the references should reel in the adults. It’s not a thinker, and it doesn’t have to be, but it’s an enjoyable time nonetheless. The biggest standout is the animation as this film is one of the flashier ones in DreamWorks’ filmography.
