Cast: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Lilly Singh and Alex Borstein
Genre: Animation, Family
Director: Pierre Perifel
In Irish Cinemas: Now
“The Bad Guys 2” returns with a lively, slightly anarchic energy that leans more toward caper comedy than cuddly cartoon, though there’s plenty of both. This time around, the infamous crew of reformed animal outlaws — led by the ever-suave Mr. Wolf (voiced with sly charm by Sam Rockwell) — are back, and while their reputation still clings to their old misdeeds, they’re now working the straight and narrow at least, in theory.
Joining Mr. Wolf are his familiar cohorts: the cynical yet oddly endearing Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), the chaos-prone and flatulence-fueled Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), the master-of-disguise Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), and the tech-savvy Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), who still hacks with attitude and eight-legged finesse. Once feared as criminal legends, “The Bad Guys” are now trying their hand at heroism — a narrative twist that mirrors the antihero-to-hero evolution seen in characters like Gru from Despicable Me or Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. These critters may say they’re bad, but deep down, they’re soft-hearted scamps wrapped in a mischievous package.
Set three years after the events of the original — itself a surprise animated hit during the pandemic era — the sequel finds our protagonists having completed their prison time and rehabilitation. They’re now full-fledged “good guys,” which initially softens the film’s edge. The first act plays it pretty safe: bright, breezy, and wholesome to a fault. Rockwell’s Mr. Wolf, however, keeps things from drifting into bland territory. With a smooth-talking delivery and a touch of rogueish grace, he turns what should be a Big Bad Wolf into more of a Big Lovable Rascal. His charisma radiates from every line, even as the character supposedly represents the group’s dark past.
But when things threaten to become too saccharine, the film shifts gears — and fast. Enter the real antagonist of the story: the mysterious Phantom Bandit. Soon unmasked as Kitty Kat (voiced with feline finesse by Danielle Brooks), she’s a cunning snow leopard with an agenda and an attitude to match. She leads a fierce new trio known as the Bad Girls, including the hilariously blunt Pigtail Petrova (Maria Bakalova), a nose-ringed wild boar with a thick Russian accent and zero patience for nuance. Their plan? Hijack a state-of-the-art rocket called the Moon X and use it to steal the world’s supply of gold by activating a colossal magnet in orbit. Yes, it’s absurd — but gleefully so.
The film truly takes off — literally and figuratively — at the halfway point, when our heroes launch a mid-air helicopter chase to intercept the ascending rocket. They clamber onto its hull mid-flight, dodging debris and stage separations in a sequence that could’ve been ripped from a Mission: Impossible storyboard. It’s an unexpected jolt of adrenaline in what had, until then, played as a light and amiable comedy. Suddenly, this cartoon is staging action set pieces with the precision of a blockbuster thriller — and it works.
Much of that credit goes to returning director Pierre Perifel, now joined by co-director JP Sans (who led character animation on the first film). The duo crafts a visual style that’s both playful and intricately orchestrated, drawing from the junior graphic novel series by Australian author Aaron Blabey. The result is an animated film that doesn’t just aim to entertain kids — it seeks to astonish them. And, occasionally, their parents, too.
Along the way, there are still moments of offbeat humour and quirky personality traits. Marc Maron’s Mr. Snake has gone full wellness guru, spouting New Age mantras and sipping kombucha while still sounding like a gravelly old punk. His passive-aggressive “Bye-eeee” sign-offs are comic gold. Meanwhile, Mr. Piranha’s bodily functions reach zero-gravity absurdity, culminating in a flatulent gag so wildly over-the-top it feels like a scatological homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey. And yes, there’s even room for a bit of romantic spark, as Mr. Wolf’s chemistry with Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz) — the fox-turned-governor with a secret past — adds a note of mature warmth rare in kid-focused animation.
“The Bad Guys 2” isn’t the most laugh-out-loud entry in the animated canon, but it’s generous with its heart and impressively ambitious in scope. Like The Smurfs dabbling in multiverse logic or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish leaning into swashbuckling fantasy, this sequel joins a growing trend: animated films that blend genre-savvy storytelling with high-concept world-building. What begins as a sweet redemption story escalates into a glossy, gold-snatching, zero-g heist with visual bravado and comic-book flair.
By the climactic finale — with Kitty Kat’s super-magnet pulling treasure up from the Earth while the Bad Guys try to save the world in orbit — the film transcends its simple premise. It’s no longer just about redeeming a few cartoon criminals. It’s about transforming a modest animated franchise into something much larger: a playground of interstellar action, moral complexity, and stylish spectacle.
“The Bad Guys 2” doesn’t just pave the way for another sequel. It redefines the possibilities of the franchise itself — proving that even the most child-friendly rogues can be swept up into stories with cinematic scale and narrative ambition.
Overall: 7/10
Movie Reviewer
