In the second of Aussie author Aaron Blabey’s kids’ graphic novel series The Bad Guys, the titular crew of antihero animals decide to prove to the world that they are now reformed characters by… rescuing some chickens.
I don’t want to spoil the bizarre places its film counterpart goes to, but let’s just say that in Dreamworks’ The Bad Guys 2, the source material has been largely left behind in favour of a plot of such Byzantine maximalism it makes the Roger Moore Bond films look like models of gritty restraint.
That’s fair because Pierre Perifel’s films are as much a celebration of classic heist movies as they are the original books. And The Bad Guys 2 is the heist movie cranked up to at least a bajillion, and involves the now reformed Mr Wolf, Mr Snake et al getting blackmailed into One Last Job – something they’re not entirely opposed to given they’re having a miserable time going straight.
They’re framed for a series of robberies they didn’t commit and manipulated into helping a trio of new animal criminals collect a rare metal called McGuffinite (yes really) to further their leader Miss Kitty Kat’s extremely insane scheme.
It makes the Roger Moore Bond films look like models of restraint
It’s overstuffed: the gang’s absurdly over-complicated heists are a joy to watch in isolation but occasionally tenuously worked in. There are simply too many characters: Richard Ayoade’s mad scientist guinea pig Professor Marmalade was a great villain in the first film, but his random presence here is both cluttering and a reminder that he was a much better big bad than Danielle Brooks’ (A Minecraft Movie) embittered snow leopard Miss Kitty Kat.
But our gang of misfit heroes remain a hoot: Sam Rockwell graciously channels the spirit of George Clooney as Mr Wolf, while Craig Robinson’s Mr Shark is the pick of the rest – the joke that he is incredibly successful at disguising himself despite being wildly conspicuous refuses to grow thin.
And it has the same lush 2D style as its predecessor, a constant visual feast – the climactic scene set in space is absolutely ravishing; a sequence where they offend an entire stadium of Mexican wrestling fans is beautifully trippy.
The Bad Guys 2 gets a bit high on its own supply; there are moments of indulgence. But to a large extent that’s because Perifel and co know they’re onto a good thing. A third film is very clearly set up near the end, and I don’t think it’s a job too far.
In UK and Ireland cinemas Fri Jul 25. In US theaters Aug 1.