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| The Bad Guys |
A Review of The Bad Guys by Nick Olszyk
Distribution Service: Theatrical
MPAA Rating, PG
USCCB Rating, Not Rated at the time of this review
Reel Rating, Five Reels
The
Bad Guys begins with a four-minute animated continuous tracking
shot where a snake and wolf talk trash, scare a diner full of patrons, and
promptly start a bank robbery across the street. It was a fantastic allusion to Pulp
Fiction, Goodfellas, and Ocean's Eleven while
being silly, fun, and a delight for small children. It’s only 2022, but so far
this is the best animated film of the decade.
“The
Bad Guys” are a motley crew of anthropomorphic criminals who, in classic “bad
but not that bad” tradition only commit thief, albeit on a huge scale. There’s Mr.
Shark (Craig Robinson), the master of disguise with the heart of a child. Next
is Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), the crazy master of destruction with a short
Latino fuse. The smallest is Miss Tarantula (Awkwafina), the snarky tech wizard
whose eight legs come quite in handy on the keyboard. Mr. Snake (Marc Maron) is
the most senior member and the safe cracker, also the most cynical and
sarcastic. Last but certainly not least is Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), the brains
of the operation. At the start of our story, they are planning their biggest
heist yet, stealing the Golden McGuffin Dolphin, given annually to the
best “good guy” in the city.
However,
something goes terribly, terribly right at the award ceremony. Attempting to
steal from a helpless old lady, Mr. Wolf ends up saving her from falling down a
flight of stairs. “Thank you,” she smiles and pats him on the head. “You’re a
good boy.” A tingle of immense joy overtakes him, followed by an uncontrollable
physiological response in his tail. After being caught, Mr. Wolf convinces Governor
Foxington (Zazie Beetz) and billionaire philanthropist Professor Marmalade (Richard
Ayoade) that they can mend their ways. Marmalade takes up the Pygamlionesque
challenge and soon they are on their way to being model citizens…or maybe not.
The
animation in Bad Guys is the best designed since 2018’s Oscar winning Into
the Spider-Verse, a fantastic blending of traditional and computer-generated
drawings that look and feel like a high caliber comic book. French director Pierre Perife, who cut his teeth
on Kung Fu Panda 2 and Rise of the Guardians, beautifully mimics action
cinematography including long tacking shots, quick edits, fluid movement, and
jump zooms. There are moments where it is easy to forget the movie is a cartoon
and not real. He also has clearly done his homework with frequent allusions to both
classic and modern heist films; Steve McQueen and Vin Diesel would be
impressed.
Starting
in the early 2010s, I noticed that film and television shows began playing with
a basic philosophical question: what does it mean to be “good?” The piece that
probably most famously dealt with this dilemma, without ultimately solving it,
was NBC’s The Good Place, which contained actual lessons on Hobbes, Kierkegaard,
and Kant. Paul tells us that all men “have the law written on their hearts” and
desire goodness, but without God, how do we recognize a truly good act?
Marmalade,
who is held up by this society as 2nd only to Mother Teresa in virtue,
gives a typical utilitarian answer. Being good makes one feel good, so that is
good. As proof, he points to how happy Mr. Wolf felt after helping the lady at
the gala. When Mr. Wolf rescues a kitten from a tree (which Marmalade secretly
records and spreads on social media), he is met with thunderous applause. The
problem with this philosophy is it's incredibly egocentric. Theoretically, if
it felt good for Mr. Wolf to eat Marmalade, and Marmalade didn’t mind, that
would be a morally righteous act. The Bay Guys subconsciously suspect something
is off, and ultimately this theory falls flat with Marmalade himself proving
far less than righteous.
An
alternative theory comes from the most unlikely source in the film, Mr. Snake.
After feeling betrayed by their leader, a Wolf-less crew leaves Marmalade’s mansion
and returns to their lair. Mr. Snake wants to console himself with a Push-Pop,
but there is only one left, so he gives it to Mr. Shark who appears to be in an
even worse state. “Snake, you did something…good,” Miss Tarantula marvels. “No!”
Mr. Snake hisses. “All I did was put his needs above mine.” This is a much
better definition of goodness. True love doesn’t usually give satisfaction and always
requires sacrifice on our part. Thus, the Pascal Mystery is the ultimate act of
love, and He commands the same of us.
The
Bad Guys, despite is antagonistic title, is also remarkable in its lack of
crude content typical of not just contemporary animation but Dreamworks in
particular. There is plenty of stylized action but virtually no violence. There
are a few moments of scatological humor but it is mostly situational. Best of
all, there was not a single curse word or violation of the 2nd commandment.
This is likely due to screenwriter Etan Cohen’s Jewish faith, which also
explains Adam Sandler’s similar
animated content. It makes sense that a child of Abraham would not want to
commit blasphemy, but I wish more Christian filmmakers would be similar minded.
The
Bad Guys is a masterpiece of cinematic art -funny, clever, exciting, profound,
and accessible to multiple audiences. At a time where parents are justly
suspect of children’s entertainment, Mr. Wolf and his compatriots prove
that the spirit of Walt Disney is still alive and well, though you might have
to go far to find it. However, that is the way the life has always been. God
came into to the world “not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Snakes and
wolves might even get into the Kingdom before mice and ducks.
This article first appeared in Catholic World Report on April 21st, 2022.
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