After a Heist Goes Wrong, a Group of Thieves Tries to Do Right

Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron),
Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Mr. Shark
(Craig Robinson), and Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell)
in "The Bad Guys"
Photo Credit: RottenTomaoes.com

A wolf, a snake, a tarantula, a shark, and a piranha.  Five creatures that’ve been on the malevolent side of fictional stories and reality, and for understandable reasons.  Whether it be their looks, the dangers that they impose on us, or both, you won’t often see these beings as the heroes of movies, television shows, or books.

However, you’ll see something a little different in Pierre Perifel’s feature directorial debut, “The Bad Guys,” an animated crime-comedy that takes us on a frenetic journey of criminals and capers.

In a version of Los Angeles where humans and anthropomorphic animals coexist, Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), and Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) are friends who’ve made a living through many thefts that’ve given them riches.  When they’re caught in the act during their latest heist, the five friends are provided with a chance to improve themselves, but decide to use it as a con for an even bigger job.

The whole cast offers enjoyable voice work, supplying the film with an abundance of energy and humor as they play off of one another and engage us in their interplay.  Everyone in the cast sounds like they’re having a lot of fun with their roles, with each of them trying to gain our attention with their jokes, and they all succeed.

The screenplay by Etan Cohen, which is based on Aaron Blabey’s series of children’s books of the same name, borrows quite a bit from Disney’s 2016 film, “Zootopia,” with the story focusing on animals trying to overcome the stereotypes that’ve been placed on them, but not exploring that theme as in-depth as Disney’s film.  Although the story isn’t as layered as some of the better animated movies that’ve been released in recent years and has some of your typical children’s-movie humor, the script still offers lively characters and some cleverness to the wit to keep everything moving.

Perifel uses animation that’s a fine mix of CGI and illustrative imagery to make the designs of the characters and settings standout.  The complexity of this type of animation is also highlighted in the film’s action scenes, particularly the chase sequences that bookend the film, with the CGI and illustrations gelling to make thrilling visuals.  There’s also a long take in the film’s opening sequence as we follow two characters through an interior and exterior, something that’s not often seen in animated movies, and it’s a fine showcase for the stylized animation that’ll follow in the rest of the movie.

While not superb, “The Bad Guys” is certainly good.

Grade: B