The Bad Guys

2022, Comedy/Adventure, 1h 40m

163 Reviews 2,500+ Verified Ratings

What to know

critics consensus

Fast-paced, funny, and full of colorful visual appeal, The Bad Guys is good news for audiences seeking options the whole family can enjoy. Read critic reviews

audience says

The Bad Guys' eye-catching animation will entertain the kids, parents will appreciate the movie's message, and the wall-to-wall jokes will keep the whole family laughing. Read audience reviews

Where to watch

In Theaters Rent/buy from $5.99 Buy from $19.99 Buy from $19.99

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The Bad Guys Videos

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Movie Info

In the new action comedy from DreamWorks Animation, based on the New York Times best-selling book series, a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws are about to attempt their most challenging con yet--becoming model citizens. Never have there been five friends as infamous as The Bad Guys--dashing pickpocket Mr. Wolf (Academy Award® winner Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), seen-it-all safecracker Mr. Snake (Marc Maron, GLOW), chill master-of-disguise Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson, Hot Tub Time Machine franchise), short-fused "muscle" Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos, In the Heights) and sharp-tongued expert hacker Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina, Crazy Rich Asians), aka "Webs." But when, after years of countless heists and being the world's most-wanted villains, the gang is finally caught, Mr. Wolf brokers a deal (that he has no intention of keeping) to save them all from prison: The Bad Guys will go good. Under the tutelage of their mentor Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade, Paddington 2), an arrogant (but adorable!) guinea pig, The Bad Guys set out to fool the world that they've been transformed. Along the way, though, Mr. Wolf begins to suspect that doing good for real may give him what he’s always secretly longed for: acceptance. So when a new villain threatens the city, can Mr. Wolf persuade the rest of the gang to become... The Good Guys?
  • Rating:
    PG (Action and Rude Humor)
  • Genre:
    Comedy, Adventure, Kids & family, Animation
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Pierre Perifel
  • Producer:
    Rebecca Huntley, Damon Ross
  • Writer:
    Etan Cohen, Hilary Winston
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $95.5M
  • Runtime:
  • Distributor:
    Universal Pictures
  • Sound Mix:
    Dolby Atmos
  • Aspect Ratio:
    Scope (2.35:1)

Cast & Crew

Sam Rockwell
Wolf
Voice
Zazie Beetz
Diane Foxington aka the Crimson Paw
Voice
Marc Maron
Snake
Voice
Awkwafina
Tarantula
Voice
Craig Robinson
Shark
Voice
Anthony Ramos
Piranha
Voice
Richard Ayoade
Professor Marmalade
Voice
Alex Borstein
Police Chief Misty Luggins
Voice
Lilly Singh
Tiffany Fluffit
Voice
Sam Rockwell
Mr. Wolf
Marc Maron
Mr. Snake
Craig Robinson
Mr. Shark
Anthony Ramos
Mr. Piranha
Awkwafina
Ms. Tarantula
Richard Ayoade
Professor Marmalade
Zazie Beetz
Lilly Singh
Alex Borstein
Pierre Perifel
Director
Etan Cohen
Screenwriter
Rebecca Huntley
Producer
Damon Ross
Producer
Aaron Blabey
Executive Producer
Etan Cohen
Executive Producer
Patrick Hughes
Executive Producer
John Venzon
Film Editor
Daniel Pemberton
Original Music
Floriane Marchix
Art Director
Hilary Winston
Screenwriter
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Critic Reviews for The Bad Guys

All Critics (163) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (144) | Rotten (19)
Full Review… Tiffany Babb Chicago Reader Full Review… Randy Myers San Jose Mercury News Full Review… Oliver Jones Observer Full Review… Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com Full Review… Mark Feeney Boston Globe Full Review… Caroline Siede Fox 10 Phoenix Full Review… John Serba Decider Full Review… Sarah Knight Adamson Sarah's Backstage Pass Full Review… Cory Woodroof Williamson Home Page Full Review… Ema Sasic Next Best Picture Full Review… Kevin Carr Fat Guys at the Movies Full Review… Sebastian Zavala Kahn Me gusta el cine
View All Critic Reviews (163)

Audience Reviews for The Bad Guys

  • Jun 01, 2022
    Even though it's based on a popular series of children's books, if you've seen Zootopia, you've seen the better version of The Bad Guys. As far as entertainment aimed at the wee ones, you can certainly do worse. It's brisk, silly, and the animation is quite enjoyable, adding hand-drawn overlays and accents that really make the images pop and provide additional, gratifying textures. The story, on the other hand, is the same old-same old. We have a group of "scary animals" in a world where anthropomorphized creatures walk side-by-side with humans. These spooky creatures get a bad rap because people fear them, so they lean into social prejudices and become a notorious criminal gang. Except now they might want to go good because being good feels better than being bad. Thematically, it's the same territory that Zootopia trod and with better world-building. We have "bad animals" that are tired of being looked as bad because people wrongly interpret them as scary threats. It's the predator/prey dynamic but without the depth. Having an all-animal heist crew provides some creative entertainment and Ocean's 11-style moments of frothy fun; I especially enjoyed that the giant shark is the team's master of disguise and always very obvious. The character arcs, supposed betrayals, redemption, and plot should be familiar and predictable, which means much of the movie must coast on the appeal of the animation, vocal actors, and general sense of humor. The comedy can be amusing but too often falls upon cheap gags, like the piranha's defining trait of being a nervous farter. The Bad Guys is suitable for animation aficionados, fans of the book series, and people who have never seen Zootopia, and if that's you, then just watch Zootopia. Nate's Grade: C+
    Nate Z Super Reviewer
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