DreamWorks’ most recent film has incredible action scenes, great visuals and well-defined characters.
*SPOILER ALERT*
“The Bad Guys” is one of the most recent projects from DreamWorks Studios, the same studio that gave us the “Kung Fu Panda” trilogy and the “Shrek” quadrilogy. Unlike their past films, “The Bad Guys” isn’t based on any originally produced franchises. This fresh start for DreamWorks creates a unique opportunity to leave behind lengthy exposition and overly-refined sequel character arcs often found in their longer running franchises.
The movie is based on a children’s book series of the same name created by Australian author Aaron Blabey, and is best described as a kid-friendly version of “Ocean’s Eleven” without the witty cocktail humor and overly-suave gents. Think ‘family’s first spy movie’ or ‘spy movie that isn’t political but still touches some heartstrings’ with a timeless set of the valuable messages DreamsWorks is known for tackling in their movies.
“The Bad Guys” takes on the classic five-man-band formula and replaces characters with different animals, whose rambunctious personalities are surprisingly fun to see on screen. The movie gives audiences the opportunity to enjoy a typically slick noir formula in a carefree, unpretentious way which conveys the thrill of the “James Bond” movies without having to cover their eyes.
The hero in the beginning of the story is a sharply-dressed goody two-shoes guinea pig named Professor Rupert Marmalade IV. He is a wealthy philanthropist who tries incredibly hard to make the bad guys turn good in their own way. Marmalade creates thematic dynamics for the more mature elements of the story to happen.
The five characters in this film are the real bread and butter of what this movie is all about. Mr. Wolf, Mr. Shark, Ms. Tarantula and Mr. Piranha are a wonderfully well-voiced cast of characters that just ooze personality thanks to the incredible animation and visual style that is quite unique to this film.
The story focuses on the relationship between Mr. Wolf and Mr. Snake and how they keep their friendship together throughout the movie as Marmalade tries to make Mr. Wolf turns against them by becoming morally superior to his friends and breaks their bond to achieve his own evil plans that are revealed later in the movie. Which was to steal all the charity money he collected and bring it to himself and frame The Bad guys for it so they took the fall.
The Mr. Wolf storyline is unexpected. Mr. Wolf likes to be bad with his friends but, after a run-in with an old lady during a heist at a red carpet gala event, Wolf feels a sense of happiness in his wagging tail at doing something genuinely good. This event sparks Mr. Wolf’s inner conflict; he has to decide between coming to terms with his newfound ‘goodness’, trying to pursue a more normal life or putting these new feelings to the wayside to appease his friends and continue his path as a world class thief.
Despite this one narrative, “The Bad Guys” tackles some pretty tough subject matter, especially for an animated kids movie. The idea of stereotypes and being put into a box by polite society plays a big role in the movie, along with the concept of how good and bad aren’t always black and white concepts that define a person, and how most people have a very deep gray area within them of both good and evil.
Watching this film as an adult, I noticed elements within the movie that I suspect most younger audiences wouldn’t. The movie certainly had some childish moments in the character interactions and emotions that were explosive and exaggerated, but the conversations that truly took center stage were about whether Mr. Wolf should be honest about his feelings of wanting to feel good sometimes.
Mr. Wolf ends up telling his friends the truth: that they make him feel weighed down and pressured into being bad. The gang of thieves later regather without Mr. Wolf, and come to the same revelation when Mr. Snake decides to give his push pop treat to Mr. Shark for once instead of teasing him with it like he usually does. They all wag their tails hilariously at the sight and feeling of being good and come to Mr. Wolf’s aid to stop Marmalade’s unmasked dastardly plan to steal money collected for charity.
I couldn’t shake the intensity of the movie’s subject matter; how the deeper sides of people’s motivations are portrayed and how the dynamic of protagonist and antagonist were in constant conflict. The main characters symbolize this perfectly. Logically, they are our protagonists, but in any other story they would be the antagonists that foil a good hero. Mr. Wolf is the catalyst of the conflict by making his other friends try to reconsider their life direction as thieves despite their protests that there is no way for them to change.
On the flipside, the movie had a lot of themes that made parts of it difficult to keep track of, which was exacerbated by the movie’s fast-paced action and dialogue. Despite this, the characters were well-conceived and executed, the narrative was a rollercoaster and the setting was equal parts gritty and glamourous in terms of visuals and story.
In the end, the friends make a compromise and try to be better but still keep up the usual heist every now and then. They don’t change to being completely good overnight, though they make an effort to start doing more good deeds. It’s a satisfying conclusion that feels realistic and a good start for characters who didn’t have a chance to be good at first. The film is one of the best grand slam releases that DreamWorks has had in awhile. On a scale of one to 10, this film deserves a solid eight.