The Bad Guys are back for another installment filled with hilarious hijinks and heists. The first film was a success for DreamWorks, but can they strike gold again with The Bad Guys 2?
After being released from prison, The Bad Guys—Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Ms. Tarantula / “Webs” (Awkwafina), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos)—struggle to reintegrate into society. To prove their worth, they work with police chief Misty Luggins (Alex Borstein) to uncover the identity of the Phantom Bandit.
Instead, Mr. Snake’s new feathered girlfriend, Susan (Natasha Lyonne) frames The Bad Guys and takes them to the lair of an all-female group of bandits. The group’s leader, Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks), blackmails the Bad Guys into helping steal the MOON-X rocket.
The Bad Guys 2 follows the same formula that made the first film successful: great characters, nail-biting heists, and plenty of action. All the original characters slip comfortably into their unique roles. The highlight the team’s infiltration of a billionaire’s wedding to steal a smartwatch that grants access to the rocket facility, with Mr. Wolf’s cowboy billionaire disguise stealing the scene.
As with many sequels, some main characters take a backseat to make room for new ones (in this case, everyone except Wolf plays a slightly lesser role); however, “The Bad Girls” work surprisingly well. With only three members, they don’t hog too much screen time and the group’s leader, Kitty Kat, is a compelling villain.
The animation continues to impress, leaning into its graphic novel roots. Many shots feel ripped straight from the comics with the dramatic use of contrast and dramatically held poses. The action scenes are raucous and fun, endearing the characters to the audience even more. The only downside is the bean-mouth humans, which style is feels increasingly dated.
The film veers into the absurd in the final act. As the characters attempt to steal a spaceship, they inevitably end up in space and everything surrounding the situation feels preposterous, even for an animated film about anthropomorphic criminals.
The Bad Guys 2 is another hit for DreamWorks because it takes the crew you love and takes them on another wild adventure. Packed with action, humor, and bad-guy bravado, the film proves that being bad still feels oh-so-good.
The Bad Guys 2 hits theaters on August 1, 2025.
★★★ ½
