Directed by Pierre Perifel
Starring the Voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, Zazie Beetz, Richard Ayoade and Alex Borstein

This will be the first and last time I ever use the forthcoming word when referring to a spider. As an arachnophobe, I did fear the sight of even an animated anthropomorphic tarantula voiced so innocently by Awkwafina would give me a serious case of the creepy-crawlies. In a cinema mostly filled by laughing children, would I be the sole person behaving as though it were a horror movie!? Thankfully, the frightening creature’s design and movement is just as harmless as the film itself.

Based on the children’s books series of the same name by Aaron Blabey, this computer-animated crime-comedy produced by Dreamworks Animation and Scholastic Entertainment pits its anthropomorphic animals existing in the same space as humans. Though humans are terrified of them for good reason! Aside from our harmless computer-hacking tarantula, we have best buds and partners in crime; the safe-cracking Mr Snake (voiced by Marc Maron) and the suave and notorious bad guy, Mr Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell). Their accomplices include the master of disguise, Mr Shark (voiced by Craig Robinson) and Piranha (voiced by Anthony Ramos), who… ahem, passes wind when nervous!

These baddies have recently robbed a bank and are planning their next big job when a sassy governor (voiced by Zazie Beetz) and a random act of goodness begins to inspire a change of heart in the big bad wolf.

 

The feature film debut of director Pierre Perifel entertains all ages by immediately whipping up and maintaining consistent on-screen energy courtesy of its faster pacing, apt music, and smooth plot developments. These plot developments extend to the parts other characters, such as a hellbent police chief (over-the-top voice work by Alex Borstein) and a kind and proper guinea pig named Professor Marmalade (voiced by Richard Ayoade), play in our baddies being captured and reformed. Though just about every turn of event and twist in the story are foreseeable, The Bad Guys rightly never loses sight of its themes about deserving a second chance and true friendship. 

Undoubtedly a good animated movie, The Bad Guys could have very good if had been willing to sacrifice some of its commercial fulfilment by tapping into some slightly darker comedy terrain and added further depth to its appealing themes. 

The Bad Guys is showing in cinemas across Australia from March 31st.

Moviedoc thanks Universal Pictures for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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