“The Bad Guys 2” (2025) is the out of this world sequel to “The Bad Guys” (2022) that takes place soon after the events of the first film. The titular crew are reformed, but they are unemployed and having problems adjusting since most of society still sees them as the bad guys. When they get framed for a crime they did not commit, they do one last job to clear their name and find themselves having to choose between saving themselves or protecting their friends. Will they be able to save everyone and start a new life?
The entire main cast returned to resume their roles with an addition of new ones that fit right in. The main difference is that this sequel feels more like an international thriller than a Quentin Tarantino film. It begins with a flashback and the team of friends on their first job soon after Webs, aka. Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), joined. It shows the crew on the top of their game before fast forwarding to present day LA and ends with an outlandish global heist that unfolds in outer space. Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) and Webs are having problems getting a job. Mr. Snake (Marc Maron) is the only one who seems to be enjoying life after their year in the clink and has glowed up with abs.
Mr. Wolf and California Governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz) have remained friends, but there is a romantic spark that both shy away from pursuing. Foxington’s identity as the Crimson Paw is still a secret which a now swole Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade) is doing time for. It was a missed plot point that could go unnoticed, but it is possible that the two are reluctant to act on their feelings for each other because the Governor is running for reelection, and Mr. Wolf as a partner would not be a good look, especially since some thefts resemble the crew’s old modus operandi. It would have been nice to use additional motivation for clearing their name, not only to get a job, but to be able to begin new life. It is actually a real-life problem of people paying their debt to society being unable to find jobs and start a life without associating with others who could get them in hot water. They try to work with former chief, now Commissioner Misty Luggins (Alex Borstein), who is still suspicious but open to anything that will help catch the real culprits.
The real culprits are a crew of bad girls. Danielle Brooks will go down in animated history as Kitty Kat, a beautiful buff bruiser with big ambitions who recruits Mr. Wolf and his team into working for her. A quick glance at the internet reveals that a great deal of people are thirsting after a humanoid snow leopard, and if you were into the “Thundercats” in a weird way, this movie is for you. (Side note: same applies for Mr. Wolf.) It is definitely a step up from “A Minecraft Movie” (2025). Maria Bakalova, who is a really good actor in “Electra” (2024) and “The Apprentice” (2024), is unrecognizable in her small role as a big presence, Pigtail Petrova, a wild boar like anthropomorphic luchador with an Eastern European accent which is a real throwback to the Eighties stereotypes of that region producing gigantic, muscular women except in this era, there is a renewed appreciation for physically indomitable women. It is not Bakalova’s first gig as vocal talent. She played Cosmo, the dog in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise. Last, but not least the one-of-a-kind Natasha Lyonne gets a better story line than she did in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (2025) as Doom (ha!), Mr. Snake’s raven love interest. It is her second time at bat as a cartoon character in 2025 after appearing in “Smurfs” (2025). I stopped watching animated films for a long time, and it is wild to come back and see so many varieties of women in terms of personality and appearance who are also bad asses in a single film. There is also more genuine chemistry and romantic physical contact than “Twisters” (2024).
While they are not the villains, “The Bad Guys 2” takes time to skewer oligarchs including one heist at a lavish wedding for Mr. Moon (Mr. Scarlett Johansson, also known as Colin Jost from “Saturday Night Live”), the owner of Moon X, a space rocket. He does not physically resemble anyone in real life, but the scenario feels like a collection of familiar oligarch shenanigans. The one percent acts as the backdrop and are almost forgettable, but the contrast between everyone scrapping for a small part of the pie is stark.
“The Bad Guys 2” has a locked in audience because Aaron Blabey’s graphic novel series and the first film are hits. If you are not a kid or a movie lover, then this film is a watered-down version of what you are already watching and may put you to sleep instead of knock you out, but if you are a grown up who is responsible for kids, then just get a coffee because the little ones were so into it. Even so, hard core movie lovers will still find reasons to laugh out loud over the precious metal being fought over, and over some merciless, brilliant editing Jesse Averna. If you are not a seasoned movie lover, then this movie may be a great way to test the waters to see which genres may be for you. It is like the equivalent of training wheels for people who want to get into movies.
This time around, director Pierre Perifel returns and works with co-director JP Sans, and it is Sans first feature, but he has a lot of animation experience, including on the first film as the head of character animation. Similarly, writer Etan Cohen returns and cowrites with Yoni Brenner getting top billing. It does feel as if they wanted this film to be bigger and with more action. While it is a complete story, there are post credit scenes teasing a sequel that will return Professor Marmalade into the evil mastermind chair and draws from Cohen’s prior experience writing for “Men in Black 3” (2012). Unlike the first film, “The Bad Guys 2” is more consistent in terms of pacing. The visual post-heist debrief sequences felt necessary and was not used excessively this time around. The needle drops are memorable from Sofi Tukker’s “Purple Hat” to “I Like It” from Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J. Balvin. In terms of visual style, it was more dynamic, and I would not have minded less flashy shots reminiscent of chaos cinema, but it was still cool to see that in an animated context.
“The Bad Guys 2” is going to be a hit for the little ones. It is stacked with talent and reflects a real effort to make age-appropriate films for children without overly sanitizing the world. It is an upbeat way of showing how the world’s harsh judgment of children can impact them as adults and hopefully impart valuable lessons on how to avoid the pitfalls that snagged the characters.
