Director: Pierre Perifel
Distributor: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Duration: 100 minutes
The Bad Guys (Blu-ray) – Movie Review
With the oversaturated market of animated movies, it’s sometimes hard to find one that looks truly interesting or original. Most of these films often involve embarking on a huge adventure or overcoming the odds, and not every idea feels original or fun anymore. While The Bad Guys is actually yet another movie where the titular ‘bad guys’ need to overcome the odds, it’s handled in a fairly original manner and the idea behind the film is surprisingly entertaining. We prepared ourselves for a furry version of Ocean’s Eleven, and we were not disappointed.
The Bad Guys revolves around a group of ragtag bandits who are deemed bad by society, not for their crimes, but because of the way they look. This troupe of bandits consists of Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Snake (Marc Maron), Tarantula (Awkwafina), Shark (Craig Robinson), and Piranha (Anthony Ramos), and their names can be taken quite literally as they also represent their outward appearance. Nonetheless, the group always pulls off successful heists, but when the newly elected governor, Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz), publically mocks them, things get personal. Wolf decides they are going to steal the Golden Dolphin right from under Diane’s nose during an award ceremony, but things go south and they end up being arrested. When the local good samaritan, Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade), offers to convert the ‘bad guys’ into the ‘good guys’, it seems the group of bandits will get away scot-free once again.
The flow and pacing of the film are quite spot-on for an animated film such as this. The movie starts out with the introduction of the characters, and soon after, the group of professional thieves gets presented with the main problem of the film: they get caught. After this, a fairly predictable story unfolds, where the group has to deal with the problem at hand, as well as the group dynamic itself. New characters are gradually introduced and fleshed out, and the movie eventually wraps up with the expected happy end, making this an ideal film to watch with children. Even though everything was fairly predictable, we liked the general concept and offset, and we found the movie to be just the right length.
We were quite impressed by the amazing voice cast backing up this project. The main characters are handled by big names in the industry, be it actors who are mainly featured in live-action blockbusters or those who have lent their voices to other animated features. The main cast is comprised of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, and Alex Borstein. While some of the characters of the film never grew out of their original stereotype, each and every cast member did a great job voicing their assigned character. Even the smaller roles felt on par with those of the main stars, making sure that the entire experience was very enjoyable.
The Blu-ray version of The Bad Guys comes with loads of special features. You’ll be able to go through all sorts of making-of extras that revolve around the cast members, the storyboards, or just the general thought behind the film. Other than that, there are also deleted scenes and many child-friendly featurettes. You can make Snake’s ice-pops together with the kids (or for yourself) and you can also learn how to draw the different characters of the film. We did, however, like the extra short story that revolves around ‘The Bad Guys’ the most. As a whole, you’re certainly getting your money’s worth when opting to buy a physical copy of the movie.
Conclusion
The Bad Guys is a fun, albeit predictable, animated film. We absolutely adored the animation style and the quality of voice acting. The characters were brought to life in a fashion that both young and old can enjoy in this appealing animated Ocean’s Eleven-like flick. On top of the overall entertaining experience, you’re getting a proper bang for your buck thanks to the many extras featured on the disc. As a whole, you can’t go wrong with this one.
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