The animated action in The Bad Guys 2 has the deftness and ingenuity of a Mission: Impossible movie, but in terms of storytelling, this follow-up to 2022’s The Bad Guys represents a step back. A promising opening section—in which our now-reformed bad guys Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) admit that being good can be boring—quickly swerves into a convoluted, overstuffed narrative. The team gets framed twice, when once would have sufficed, while limp jokes around the edges involve a Musk/Bezos billionaire figure and random cultural stereotypes. At least Richard Ayoade returns to voice villainous guinea pig Professor Marmalade. While much of the movie aims for lazy laughs, Marmalade represents a flair for the comically absurd.
(7/30/2025)
