The Bad Guys (2022)

It's not often that I think to watch a movie because Netflix advertises it as newly streaming, especially when I wasn't particularly sold during its theater run. But there's been plenty of fan art since, and enough people in my circles check out such fare, if not the book series on which it's loosely based, that I wanted a more informed opinion.

Before getting into the plot, let me describe the setting. For the most part, it resembles generic modern America, except that some anthropomorphic animals mix with the human population. We're not talking Bojack Horseman-level diversity here; only seven anthros appear at all, yet one of them is the state governor. They also evidently subscribe to different nudity taboos by species. I'd find it more awkward if I hadn't watched The Underdog Show as a kid.

Anyway, the uncreative title refers to an uncreative gang name, and the gangsters have uncreative individual names. The charismatic protagonist, who occasionally addresses the audience, is the only mammal in the bunch: Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell, channeling Robert Downey Jr.). The dourest and probably most wicked is Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), who tells the other Bad Guys he hates them least. Only Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), ludicrous computer hacker, has a name long enough to merit a nickname: "Webs." The other two are curiously amphibious fish: Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), the ironic brawn of the outfit; and Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), the ironic "master of disguise."

In the beginning, the Bad Guys are infamously effective robbers but starting to lose their touch. When they're about to go to prison, Wolf persuades Gov. Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz) to let Prof. Marmalade (Richard Ayoade), popular philanthropist and literal guinea pig, try to reform them. Wolf intends for them to fake reformation for a pardon and to facilitate an extra big heist, but of course, this is a story of "becoming the mask." Trouble brews when the gang isn't in synch on that score.

I had assumed that Wolf would reform in earnest because of feelings for Diane. For an anthro-canid, she is...fetching. But as is common for today's family features, there's no unambiguous love interest; you can believe it or not as you choose. What's clear is that Wolf discovers how good it can feel to be, or at least be mistaken for, good. Not an easy thing to convey to the others.

I find it odd that at first, most humans run in fear from the Bad Guys. Sure, Piranha enjoys a scrap with guards, and Snake will eat animals smaller than humans, but their crimes are primarily theft and evasion. And these people recognize the specific gang. Well, a salient theme is that like Nick Wilde or, for a fellow DreamWorks example, MegaMind, they were presumed evil almost from birth, so they'd perceived no incentive to be anything else. Come to think of it, none of their RL counterparts is as dangerous to humans as their reputations suggest. (I for one am pretty fond of numerous despised creatures.)

Not that we get well acquainted with many human characters. The named ones are limited to Police Chief Misty Luggins (Alex Borstein), who's the Inspector Javert to Wolf's Jean Valjean; and reporter Tiffany Fluffit (Lilly Singh), a satirically vapid sort of Greek chorus. I'm afraid nobody of any species comes out looking especially virtuous or adult-smart.

Oh, was that a spoiler? I doubt it. You don't need much genre savvy to see most twists herein coming a mile away. For example, Marmalade is clearly vain in his first scene, so you can bet that's not the last you'll see of his unsaintly side.

Formulaic? Big time. Cute? Now and then. Vulgar? Periodically, thanks mostly to Piranha, who insists on seeing a butt shape where others don't. Like Rygel in Farscape, he gets flatulent when nervous; unlike Rygel, he makes an expansive, choking green cloud on multiple occasions. (You know, maybe there's another reason people shun him.)

Morally, it's a little questionable. How easily should we forgive these crooks just because they were dealt a bad hand (metaphorically speaking)? How much should we opt to forgo prejudice when they tend to live down to it? How good do they have to become to make up for their past sins?

This is not to say I couldn't appreciate much of the flick. The heists and chases may not be realistic, but they are fun. Some of the little details, whether dialogue or visual gags, tickled me. And the soundtrack wasn't bad. Thanks to whoever relegated Billie Eilish to the trailer.

It's not the next Kung Fu Panda or even the next Kung Fu Panda 3. But TBG isn't a, well, bad way to spend 100 minutes if your evening is open.