The Bad Guys 2 (2025) Universal/Action-Comedy RT: 104 minutes Rated PG (action/mild violence, rude humor, language) Director: Pierre Perifel Screenplay: Yoni Brenner and Etan Cohen Music: Daniel Pemberton Release date: August 1, 2025 (US) Cast: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Zazie Beetz, Danielle Brooks, Natasha Lyonne, Maria Bakalova, Alex Borstein, Richard Ayoade, Lilly Singh, Colin Jost, Katherine Ryan.
Rating: ***
I was surprised by how much I liked 2022’s computer-animated The Bad Guys, a surprisingly hip heist flick featuring anthropomorphic animals instead of humans. It was like Ocean’s Eleven as directed by Quentin Tarantino (minus the violence, bad language and bare feet). I was equally surprised by how much I enjoyed The Bad Guys 2, a markedly more chaotic sequel in which the title characters try to go straight only to be pulled back in.
Based on the popular children’s book series by Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys 2 follows the characters- leader Wolf (Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), safecracker Snake (comedian Maron), hacker Tarantula (Awkwafina, Raya and the Last Dragon), master of disguise Shark (Robinson, Hot Tub Time Machine) and muscle Piranha (Ramos, Twisters)- after they’re released from prison. They want to become “The Good Guys”, but nobody will give them a chance. They interview for jobs to no avail. It seems hopeless, but their ally Governor Fox (Beetz, Joker) encourages them to keep trying.
Wolf decides the best way to get into everybody’s good graces is to help their old nemesis Luggins (Borstein, Family Guy), promoted from Police Chief to Commissioner, track down a criminal known as “The Phantom Bandit”. It all turns out to be an elaborate frame job concocted by a trio of female thieves- leader Kitty Kat (Brooks, A Minecraft Movie), raven Doom (Lyonne, Poker Face) and wild boar Pigtail (Bakalova, Borat 2)- who call themselves “The Bad Girls”. They plan to steal all the world’s gold by using a special metal called “MacGuffinite” and need the Bad Guys to help them pull it off.
There’s also romance this time around, sort of. Wolf likes Fox, but she has him friend-zoned. It’s a whole will they or won’t they scenario. But first, they have to deal with the situation at hand while preventing the world from finding out that Fox and notorious criminal The Crimson Paw are one in the same.
I saw the new version of The Naked Gun the night before and only managed a few half-hearted chuckles. I laughed out loud a few times during The Bad Guys 2. I laughed the hardest at MacGuffinite, but I was the only one. It went right over the heads of the kids and other adults in attendance. I guess they don’t know their film terminology.
A friend who saw it the night before described The Bad Guys 2 as “over the top”. That sounds about right. The sequel, also directed by Pierre Perifel, doesn’t have the same swagger as its predecessor. If the OG was Tarantino, this one is Sam Raimi with its wild set-pieces and outer space finale. It hits its zenith with a sequence at a Lucha Libre wrestling tournament where the Bad Guys’ attempt to unmask the Phantom Bandit ends with them being chased by the boisterous crowd. The animation, sleek and angular, is filled with pizzazz and wild energy. It’s a perfect match for the movie’s anarchic spirit.
The voice talents in The Bad Guys 2 crush it again. Rockwell brings back the swagger as Wolf, the fourth wall-breaking top dog who always has an angle. His Brad Pitt comes in the form of Maron’s snake, still afraid to show he actually has feelings. He has a girlfriend he keeps secret from the gang. She’s the reason for his changed behavior. Awkwafina, I still love her! She’s funny and her character, who goes by the moniker “Webs”, is spunky. The new additions are most welcome, especially Lyonne with that distinctive gravelly voice. Colin Jost from SNL joins the party as a tech billionaire who factors into the evil plan. Oh and Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd) also returns as Professor Marmalade, that most villainous of guinea pigs.
As summer dwindles down and school days draw near, it’s harder to find good family entertainment for days when it’s hot for any kind of outdoor activity. Keeping the kids in the house will likely cause sane parents to go insane. That’s why a movie like The Bad Guys 2 is welcome. The kids will get a kick out of the characters and the crazy humor even if they don’t fully understand the convoluted plot. Adults will enjoy the jokes and references that go over their little one’s heads. Everybody will admire the artful animation. Honestly, it looks better than the most recent Pixar film (i.e. Elio). It’s just a fun movie that isn’t taxing on the brain and doesn’t condescend to its audience like the recent Smurfs debacle. If you like the first movie, there’s no reason you won’t like this second or the third one promised by the final scene. BTW, be sure to stay for a bonus mid-credits scene.
