Spoiler-Free Review of the New Bad Guys Movie: Did It Deliver on Its Hype?

The new movie Bad Guys hits theaters on Friday, and people are wondering if it was worth all of the hype. Well, wonder no more! In this spoiler-free review, we will take a look at the movie and let you know what we thought. Did it deliver on its promise? Or did it fall short? Keep reading to find out!

As we look at the world today, there is an ongoing struggle amplified by negative history that impacts the future of a positive global community.   We all have biases.  ALL OF US!  Each and every person has overt and/or innate biases against others.  Through these biases we make decisions that not only impact ourselves, but can have a detrimental impact on others.    Bad Guys by DreamWorks Animation, just took my mind in so many directions as I am raising two black young people.   I often wonder how the perception of them will impact the opportunities provided to them.  Will they be given chance and opportunity for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

The leader of the Bad Guys, Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell ), lives up to the stereotype of BIG BAD WOLF.   There aren't any scenes of him howling under the backdrop of a full moon, but you get a sense that he has the power to wreak havoc at any given moment.   Instead of a pack of wolves, Wolf is joined by Snake (voiced by Mark Maron ), Tarantula (voiced by Awkwafina), Shark (voiced by Craig Robinson) and Piranha (voiced by Anthony Ramos).  Obviously a group of people entered a room and quickly identified animals that could truly invoke fear.  I can definitely state I would not want to be anywhere around those animals outside of a zoo.  But I do wonder if instead of a Tarantula, they should have chosen the Black Widow… just a thought.   

The Bad Guys were well known and organized thieves of the highest calibre.  The thought of ever getting apprehended was never considered.  They possessed the desire to gain as much wealth as they could steal with the knowledge and power to excel at it.   These personas of the hidden essence of people were reinforced by public opinion that was deathly afraid of them and an aggressive law enforcement agency dedicated to bring them to justice.   It was as if the entire movie was going to be about how much they could steal at any given time.  They were unstoppable, until a fiendish plot obstructed the Bad Guys view of their life (I promise not to spoil it for you… so lets skip around a bit). 

Growing up my grandmother would tell me Life and Death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).  We see this example so many times, especially with children.  If someone cares enough to show positive affirmation, it truly enables positive success.  However, the opposite is also true.  If we prevent opportunities to do good, bad things are more likely to come to pass.   The brilliance of humanity is that even if someone misses this opportunity for a positive influence early in life, it can be provided by anyone at any time.  For Wolf, this happened through someone showing gratitude for a simple mistake of an act of kindness.   Although his instinct was to do wrong, the positive reinforcement when he accidently helped an older person proved a greater reward.  

The feeling of being kind.  That internal gratitude of knowing you did the right thing was further reinforced by Diane Foxington (voiced by Zazie Beetz).  Diane truly helped Wolf realize that just because he identified as a wolf, didn't mean he needed to be the stereotype of a wolf.  He could literally redefine being a wolf in his own context and in his own way.  With Wolf, the leader of the Bad Guys, infected with a moral sense to be a Good Guy, it started to infect his pack.  It is so much easier to be kind to others when people you love and trust are being kind too, especially the leader of the pack.   And the reality is, as all the Bad Guys realized, there is something special in helping others.  We simply feel good when we unselfishly help other people.

I definitely recommend you watch this movie and give some thought to who you are versus who people see you as.   And ask yourself, is there any room for improvement that could positively impact the world.

The film co-stars Zazie Beetz (Joker), Lilly Singh (Bad Moms) and Emmy winner Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). 

Based on the blockbuster Scholastic book series by Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys is directed by Pierre Perifel (animator, the Kung Fu Panda films), making his feature-directing debut. The film is produced by Damon Ross (development executive Trolls, The Boss Baby, co-producer Nacho Libre) and Rebecca Huntley (associate producer, The Boss Baby). The executive producers are Aaron Blabey, Etan Cohen and Patrick Hughes. 

Genre:                             Animated Action Comedy

Executive Producers:          Aaron Blabey, Etan Cohen, Patrick Hughes