The Bad Guys 2 picks up where the first movie left off with its anthropomorphic characters attempting to go straight by leaving behind their lives of crime. The first film made only $250 million worldwide which is not a massive amount to warrant a sequel but we’re getting one and it’ll be successful enough for its undemanding audience.
The main voices from the original have returned: Sam Rockwell’s Mr. Wolf; Marc Meron’s Mr. Snake; Awkwafina’s Ms. Tarantula; Craig Robertson’s Mr. Shark, and Anthony Ramos’ Mr. Piranha. The gang is still together as they look for regular jobs in an effort to clean up their image, but they ultimately can’t change the public’s mind.
They encounter a female squad that is interested in obtaining their services for a heist. Danielle Brooks, Natasha Lyonne, and Maria Bakalova costar as The Bad Girls who recruit The Bad Guys for a special mission: They want them to steal a massive rocket in exchange for keeping the lid on the antics of Governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz) by showing video footage of her exploits as The Crimson Paw.
The Bad Guys’ predicament is further complicated by the presence of the Phantom Bandit, a criminal whom the Bad Guys become her unintended patsy. The character and her plot device are just a machination that the film doesn’t need, as it’s already stuffed with enough characters and plot.
Fans of the original will embrace its jolly energy and fun camaraderie from its cast, and they have moments of earned humor in the middle of its chaotic action and busy story. There’s also a plot element between Meron’s Mr. Snake and Lyonne’s Susan, a raven in which they have an on-again/off-again romance that is actually more interesting than the heist stuff.
The Bad Guys 2 has too much plot going for it at times, but the voice work of its cast and some zippy action sequences might be just enough to compensate and make it a moderately entertaining diversion.
