Animated movies can catch you by surprise and when they do, it is glorious. One of those is The Bad Guys, out now on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital formats. The Good Guys is such as blast. It’s an animated Ocean 11 for the kiddie set, but at the same time, this is very much an enjoyable experience for all ages.
The premise is a crew of high-end crew who are as thick as thieves come and they think they have the heist of the lifetime—but it’s not as simple it as seems. At the center of this is Wolf, played impeccably by Oscar winner Sam Rockwell, who is as smooth and confident as they get. He is unquestionably the leader. Thank George Clooney and Frank Sinatra put together. Meanwhile, the seemingly (and rightfully so) Awkwafina excels as the tarantula who has a knack for hacking that comes in handing—pretty much on every single gig. Craig Robinson of The Office fame stars as a giant shark named well, Shark—who pushes himself beyond what we have seen before, and Marc Maron effortlessly slithers into his role as Snake. Lastly, there’s the stellar performance of Anthony Ramos as Piranha.
The cast is filled out by Flight of Concords star Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beets of Deadpool 2 fame, who plays Diane Foxington, the Governor, is more multi-layered than one would think. Of course, who could omit The Fabulous Mrs. Maisel’s breakout star Alex Bornstein—who might we add is also the voice of Lois Griffin on Family Guy. She commands every scene she is in.
What is so fascinating and compelling about this film is how it is truly a redemption story and that is a good message and theme for every single one of us. The idea that it is just waiting for the right time for each of us to discover it is about as universal as they come, but not one we see all too often in film as it is delivered by The Bad Guys. As the movie commences, these are crooks of the highest order. Maybe, just maybe, they might find a conscious by the close of the film and must change their moniker change to The Good Guys. Maybe.
The idea of redemption is a powerful one with children. Informing the younger generation that despite your present or your past, your future is unwritten. That is a powerful message. It is one not to be taken likely, even though it comes from a light-hearted animated film. Never doubt how much these movies resonate with children. They may struggle with academics until they learn their way, but one thing that hits them right in the gut is the difference between being good and bad. The lesson here is that no matter your circumstances or your actions, it is never too late to turn the leaf. It is never too late to at least try to be a better soul and the act of the effort is what counts. It is powerful, impeccably important, and kudos to filmmakers for making it the crux of The Bad Guys.
Aquafina is everywhere right now, and deservedly so—is there anything she cannot achieve? She grounds the crew with her tech-savvy spider and keeps it real. Without her, I swear the crew would go off the rails.
Rockwell is sensational. He is as cool as ice. In fact, the entire team feels like an animated version of Ocean’s 11. It’s a heist movie with a moral compass, i.e., perfect for our youngest viewers and it never plays down to them or forgets that adults will be in the audience too. There are more parent-geared jokes than one would expect, but they are not in the slightest inappropriate for kids—they’ll just go over their collective heads. The way that Rockwell embodies Wolf, he is every bit the vicious predator, but he’s starting to realize there might be more to life than robberies.
Beets rocks as the Governor (and a secret character) who is as much in command of her city as she is sure that Wolf is debonair and someone you would like to know. The Deadpool 2 star plays it close to the vest and there’s a reveal towards the final act that you will not see coming.
Ramos tackles the farting Piranha (yes, you read that correctly) with panache and makes it one of the more laughable characters of the crew, which is much needed for a children’s animated comedy. At its heart, which is exactly what The Bad Guys is Lastly, Craig Robinson goes out of his comfort zone to tackle the shark part and it is nothing like you’ve seen him in before.
Director Pierre Perfiel has helmed a project with a steady hand and never forgetting the ebbs and flows that make a great narrative, regardless of whether it’s animated or live action. He has helped create a world that is as slick and cool as The Rat Pack patrolling Las Vegas back in the day. We hope this film does well because we’d love to see my zaniness from this immaculately conceived crew.
After witnessing this surprise joy of a flick, dive into the bonus features—commencing with Devise the Plan: Making The Bad Guys. This seven-minute behind-the-scenes featurette takes us from the book to the storyboard stage and then up on the big silver screen. The film’s stars and those behind the camera provide priceless insight into how this thoroughly entertaining movie achieved its greatness.
Assemble the Crew spotlights the talent behind the microphone and looks at the recording and character-building process with Rockwell’s Wolf, Maron’s Snake, Robinson’s Shark, Awkwafina’s Tarantula and Ramos’ Piranha. It is a terrific featurette and takes the “making-of” bonus feature a step further.
Next up, head over to It’s Showtime: Cast Table Read and experience the bare bones, script-centric entity that is the table read as the cast meets for the first time, virtually—there was a pandemic after all. Even though they were meeting through the internet, one immediately comes away with a sense that this crew will not have to act to hard to convince audiences that this is one tight-knit unit on the screen.
Snake’s Frozen Pop Shop is a three-minute-and-thirty-three second featurette that gives parents more than just a flick to play for their child. This is an immersive experience centered around making frozen popsicles, as well as How to Disguise Your Frozen Pop, which splits the icy treats into three categories—Next-Level Double Agents, Easy Destinations, and Professional Snake Design.
Another firsthand experience for the kiddos (and adults!) arrives with the featurette From the Drawing Room. The featurette teaches in step-by-step format, how to create your own storyboard and draw the main characters from The Bad Guys. Our teacher? The one and only head of story, Nelson Yokota!
There are a few deleted scenes—Snake Attack, Extra Secret Base Tour, You Can’t Fake Good and Post Credits: Scientist Button. Do not miss the “Original Opening,” which differs from what made the final cut.
Want to go further into the crafting of this welcoming hit? Watch it your second time with the feature commentary tack turned on. It features director Pierre Perifel, Yokota, Head of Character Animation JP Sans, Production Designer Luc Desmarchelier, and producer Damon Ross.
Lastly, the cherry on top of this deliciously animated sundae comes with an all-new short film entitled, Maraschino Ruby. The short introduces us to The Bad Guys, who are at it once more—but not in a manner that one might expect. You guessed it, they have gone and done some good. When they go off plan, it means their moniker might have to be changed to the opposite of Bad.
In this original DreamWorks animated short, The Bad Guys are at it again, but not in the way you think. They’ve gone good! Find out what happens to the team after they go rogue in this sweet original short.
Film Grade: B+
Bonus Features: B