Is Dreamworks The Bad Guys Actually Good?

 At the time of this blog post, Kung Fu Panda 4 is on the horizon, and even though I thought about talking about "Puss In Boots The Last Wish" and how much I adore that movie, I decided to talk about the other Dreamworks film released in 2022, since I would rather go to that year then cover Trolls 3 or Ruby Gilman from last year, perhaps someday but not today. This movie has some positive reception to its name and also the characters appear in the new Dreamworks studio logo opening that premiered with Puss In Boots The Last Wish, featuring Shrek, Po from Kung Fu Panda, and many more, some beloved, some not much, (especially the boss baby).  

In the Spring of 2022, Dreamworks released a movie about the big bad wolf or Wolf as he is called, Snake, Shark, Piranha, and Tarantula named just after the animals they are, as they steal and heist. But Wolf is starting to wonder if maybe being bad isn't all it is cracked up to be, and if he could, in fact, be good, once they are all caught in a heist gone wrong they are given a second chance to go good. But will they? Let's dive into The Bad Guys and see just if this movie is any good. 

The animation in this movie is fantastic, almost looking like a hybrid between 2D and 3D, the action scenes, visual gags, slapstick, and even the quiet moments are drawn and made incredibly well. The background music is also great and the one song for the movie, "Good Night" is really fun. The film has a solid presentation and the voice acting works for the style of film that is being made. Yes, there are some loud and crazy moments for the kids or simple dialogue to keep the narrative from going too deep but it still works. Some of the loud moments had me laughing and even some of the slapstick. Not every single joke landed but there was a decent number that did. 

The characters of this movie are very one note and the actions they take are very predictable, except maybe not for the younger viewers in the audience. They make silly jokes, some of them have running gags, and each one has one thing that makes them stand out. This rings true for the entire cast, main, supporting, antagonist, and so on. Even characters that are in less then one-third of this movie have a set personality and they just stick with it. Which is perfect for little kids, and yet they still can make jokes for the adults to enjoy. 

This movie may not be the most deep but it is still enjoyable for the whole family. I really enjoyed the animation and how it lent itself to the humor or action sequences. The score of this movie is great, and the background music is fantastic, setting the mood very well. The presentation of this movie makes it an overall enjoyable watch, even though the beats the narrative follows, the moral, and the ideas have been seen before, it is done well enough in this movie to work. This movie is like a piece of candy, it is short, sweet, and enjoyable, and sometimes a piece of candy is the perfect experience for a random day. 

In terms of writing the message is made plain and simple for the kids in the audience and is spelled out in big bold letters. The themes of not being what you are viewed as and how being good can make someone feel good, feel at home in the Saturday morning cartoon. This cast of characters already got a Christmas special where none of the voice cast carried over, so if it got a Netflix series, I would not be surprised. This property would work as a kids' show I feel in an episodic series either following the Bad Guys before or after the events of the film. This film is also getting a sequel which at the time of this post is reported to be a prequel, the characters and premise are simple and enjoyable enough that things can be expanded in the past or going forward. 

This movie may not try and be some deep piece of artistic expression, and that is okay. I loved the movie "TMNT Mutant Mayhem" and that movie was not deep at all with its messages, some that had been done many times before the film, but it did not stop my enjoyment. That rings true for this movie too, it is just a nice, fun, sometimes funny time, with really well-made music and animation. The presentation of this film is incredibly well done and I am excited for the prequel/sequel film for this property, it is nice to see Dreamworks still trying to make new ideas into multiple films instead of always just leaning on what they have built. It is nice to see new ideas get even more chances to expand and grow, so yes this movie is worth a watch, and I would say it is in fact, pretty good.