'The Bad Guys' Review: Ocean's Fur-leven
PG: Action and rude humor
Runtime: 1 Hr and 40 Minutes
Production Companies: DreamWorks Animation, Scholastic Entertainment
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Director: Pierre Perifel
Writers: Etan Cohen
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Anthony Ramos, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Lilly Singh, Alex Borstein
Release Date: April 22, 2022
In Theaters Only
Never have there been five friends as infamous as The Bad Guys—dashing pickpocket Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), seen-it-all safecracker Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), chill master-of-disguise Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), short-fused “muscle” Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) and sharp-tongued expert hacker Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), aka “Webs.” But when, after years of countless heists and being the world’s most-wanted villains, the gang is finally caught, Mr. Wolf brokers a deal (that he has no intention of keeping) to save them all from prison: The Bad Guys will go good.
I haven’t been the biggest fan of DreamWorks Animation’s output recently. Ever since they were picked up by Comcast, their features outside of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and Abominable have been lackluster. For the past few years, they provided nothing but mediocre sequels that made me cringe. It got so bad that one of their movie’s marketing hinged on Taylor Swift’s version of “Wildest Dreams.” So, when the first trailer of The Bad Guys was released, I was shocked because it looked so… anti-DreamWorks in every facet. The animation was fresh, the voice cast was based, and the style was vastly different from everything they’ve done since Captain Underpants, which I’m not counting because they outsourced that film to Mikros Animation. The Bad Guys confidently met the expectations I had set for it.
From the jump, director Pierre Perifel and his talented crew of animators boast a smashing style that blends 2D and 3D animation techniques to give its energetic world its own flair. The character models are 3D but they have 2D elements to their features, such as the clothing, their pupils, or other areas that come and go in order to elevate a scene’s mood and personality. It also incorporates comic-book-style action lines so all the frenetic, quick-paced action feels like you’re watching a graphic novel come to life.
Say what you will but I’m here for this brand spanking new era of stylized animation that’s challenging studios to defy the norm of animation. Non-animation critics are probably saying, “Oh, they’re copying Spider-Verse,'' and yeah, it’s clearly inspired by that, but I’d rather have a bunch of these stylized animated films that are trying to change the trajectory of the medium instead of pushing technology to boast realistic visuals. Begone with the photorealistic look that makes animated movies feel like tech demos and costs some studios hundreds of millions of dollars to make. Let the pop art graphic style of animation commence!
Outside of the animation, it’s admirable to see how this world functions. They took the rules of BoJack Horseman where anthropomorphic animals and humans coexist and nobody questions it. The animals’ physical traits are still intact, though for gags or story purposes, like how Mr. Wolf’s tail wagging serves as the crux of the story. Other animals are just “regular” animals as if there’s a third gene outside of dominant and recessive that determines whether an animal should be born anthropomorphic or not.
It’s unbelievable how DreamWorks has deviated from the celebrity voice cast gimmick that Katzenberg coined and actually casts talent that fits the bill of their characters. Since this is heavily inspired by every notable heist film ever, the voice cast is composed of talents who would also do a great job in a live-action heist film. You have Sam Rockwell as the suave leader Mr. Wolf, Marc Maron putting on a raspy voice for his safecracker Mr. Snake, Craig Robinson as the hilarious master of disguise Mr. Shark, Awkwafina adding another heist film under her belt as Ms. Tarantula, and Anthony Ramos as the short-fused muscle Mr. Piranha.
One of my favorites was Alex Borstein as the frustrated and buff chief of police. She's the most experienced vocal performer in the ensemble so her line delivery tickled my funny bone while animators went above and beyond to make sure all of her movements complimented her quick wit and energy.
I also adored Zazie Beetz as Wolf’s foil/love interest governor Diane Foxington, who has better romantic tension with Mr. Wolf than a lot of the pairings I’ve seen in action adventures recently. The character designers knew what they were doing while making these two look like a furry’s wet dream and the voice actors elevated it even further. The entire ensemble owns their characters to the extent that I wanted to hang with them a little longer.
The story blends the typical formula of a heist film, wearing its influences of Tarantino, Soderbergh, and even Ritchie on its sleeve. It’s not trying to go full Zootopia and hammer you over the head with an allegory for racism and discrimination but it does tackle similar themes in a lighter—if not more timely—approach. It’s surprisingly balanced, maintaining being a character-driven story for Mr. Wolf and his comrades trying to go good while wholeheartedly embracing the style of heist movies in its own manic manner for a young audience. It’s as if Perifel heard that Tarantino recently became a dad and did him a favor by making a movie that emulates his style… one that his kid can enjoy.
That Rick and Morty episode “One Crew Over the Crewcoo’s Morty” soured the taste of heist movies. While my old fart self saw many beats coming from a mile away, even the twists and betrayals, I was befuddled by the unnecessary convolution of the plot, especially during the latter half of the story. It’s per the norm for a heist flick to convolute itself but when I’m taking notes to make sure I understand what the heck is even happening in the context of the story… that’s the film’s problem. Or is it a problem with the genre? I guess it works in this movie’s favor because it embraces the crime genre flaws and I think that’s wonderful.
If my kid wanted to watch something like Pulp Fiction or the Ocean’s movies and was too young for them, The Bad Guys is a wonderful alternative crash course in the genre. Heck, it’s by far the best heist crime film of the decade thus far. It’s stylized, has its own personality, it’s riddled with fun gags and great characters, and left me wanting more from this crew of anthropomorphic buddies. This is a great course correction for DreamWorks Animation, showcasing that they can adapt to change and bring freshness to their image. I always have the utmost respect for a movie that’s able to be a love letter to a genre while pushing its own distinct flair. The Bad Guys is just a great ol’ time at the movies.
