DreamWorks’ The Bad Guys (2022) was one of the studio’s freshest surprises in years: a slick, jazzy caper that paired graphic-novel aesthetics with a moral lesson simple enough for kids but clever enough for adults. Its sequel, The Bad Guys 2, arrives with the challenge every follow-up faces — how to go bigger without losing the charm. The result is an animated film that often succeeds on energy and style, even as it stumbles on bloat.
Style Over Size
What instantly sets this sequel apart from most animated offerings is its look. Director Pierre Perifel and his team once again commit to the sketchbook-meets-comic-book design, all chunky outlines, scribbled shadows, and kinetic transitions. It feels handcrafted in an era of glossy, plastic animation. If the first film looked like a jazz improvisation, this one feels like the same tune played louder, with more brass in the mix.
Yet the escalation is unmistakable. Where the original film focused on modest heists and personal redemption, The Bad Guys 2 leaps into rockets, billionaire antagonists, and a volatile new element—MacGuffinite—that literally powers the plot. This shift makes for spectacular set-pieces but also risks crowding out the smaller, character-driven cons that gave the first movie its spark.
The Heart Remains the Crew
The film’s anchor is still its ensemble. Sam Rockwell’s Mr. Wolf oozes charisma, his optimism about heroism both endearing and naïve. Marc Maron’s Mr. Snake continues to supply the friction, embodying the suspicion and selfishness that make redemption hard work rather than a one-time choice. Their prickly partnership provides the sequel’s most grounded moments.
New additions—an all-female rival crew voiced by Danielle Brooks, Natasha Lyonne, and Maria Bakalova—inject freshness into the banter. They serve as both competitors and eventual allies, forcing Wolf’s gang to measure themselves against another version of “bad guys doing good.” Crucially, the sequel never lets these newcomers steal the film wholesale; instead, they sharpen the dynamic and raise the stakes.
Comedy, Music, and Momentum
The comedy operates on dual frequencies. Children will latch onto slapstick chaos—characters tumbling, gadgets misfiring, vehicles crashing in absurd fashion. Adults will find slyer pleasures in the script’s satire, including not-so-subtle digs at tech moguls and media spectacle. Sometimes these tones clash, but the movie’s velocity papers over the seams.
The true glue remains Daniel Pemberton’s music. His brassy, swaggering score doesn’t just accompany the action—it orchestrates it. Chases feel choreographed to trumpet stabs and percussion ticks, while the original song “GOODLIFE” injects pop buoyancy. The film’s rhythm is as much musical as visual, which is why even overstuffed sequences rarely feel sluggish.
Themes Beneath the Caper
Like its predecessor, The Bad Guys 2 is concerned with identity and reputation. If the first film asked whether villains could become heroes, the sequel probes whether society will ever believe them. Snake’s apparent betrayal and eventual reaffirmation of loyalty dramatize the fragility of trust—earned slowly, lost quickly, and often shaped by appearances rather than truth. The MacGuffinite device, which manipulates public perception, functions as an allegory for media spin and the instability of reputation in a digital age.
Reception and Legacy
The critical response has been warm if cautious: praise for the visual style and ensemble humor, tempered by concern that the film overreaches with too many reversals and too much spectacle. Audiences, however, have embraced it more enthusiastically, rewarding its energy and heart despite its flaws. In a family market saturated with sequels, The Bad Guys 2 distinguishes itself by at least trying to say something while it entertains.
Conclusion
The Bad Guys 2 is not as nimble or tightly constructed as its predecessor, but it is undeniably fun—a sequel that retains just enough of the original’s wit and warmth to justify its existence. Its bigness can be a liability, yet its style, music, and cast chemistry carry it across the finish line.
As with its characters, the film occasionally fumbles in trying to prove it can be “good” while indulging its bad habits. But when it works, it reminds us why this crew of lovable rogues struck a chord in the first place.
Final word: A slick, swaggering, slightly overstuffed heist that entertains more than it exhausts—an animated sequel worth the ticket.