Sam Rockwell in Criminally Enjoyable Sequel

Follow-ups to animated movies aren’t resistant to the Hollywood groupthink that they must be larger and extra lavish than their predecessors. Such is actually the case with the sequel to The Bad Guys, the 2022 hit tailored from Aaron Blabey’s best-selling graphic e book collection. Beginning with an elaborate caper and automotive chase by way of the streets of Cairo that will make Tom Cruise jealous, The Bad Guys 2 seeks to outshine the unique at each flip. It smacks of overkill, however happily the movie, well directed by Pierre Perifel, additionally options the identical wit and appeal that proved so interesting to kids and adults alike within the first film.

At the movie’s starting, the Reservoir Dogs-style-named anthropomorphized animal legal group — consisting of chief Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), safecracker Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), comically inappropriate master-of-disguise Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), quick-tempered Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) and hacker Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) — have been launched from jail and are trying to go straight. But it proves tough contemplating their legal previous, as demonstrated by a really humorous scene that includes Mr. Wolf making use of for a job at a financial institution he’s robbed a number of instances. Needless to say, he doesn’t get it.

So it’s not stunning that they discover themselves pulled again into committing one other heist. This time, they’re partnered with the distaff Bad Girls: snow leopard Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks), their ruthless chief; wild boar Pigtail (Maria Bakalova), their science wizard; and raven Doom (Natasha Lyonne, proper on the heels of her stellar voice work in Smurfs), with whom Mr. Snake has been romantically concerned. (We get to see them in a make-out session, involving Mr. Snake hilariously unhinging his jaw).

The caper, involving the theft of a rocket ship from a tech billionaire (Colin Jost) bearing no small resemblance to a sure chainsaw-wielding real-life determine, is foolish sufficient to justify the movie’s use of the time period MacGuffinite as certainly one of its principal components. It positively smacks of James Bond, from its Moonraker-like foray into outer area to its diabolical plot to steal the world’s whole provide of gold.

Along the best way, there are colourful episodes galore, together with one involving a Mexican wrestling match, and the return of quite a few supporting characters from the primary movie. One spotlight entails Wolf’s love curiosity, the actually and figuratively cunning Governor Foxington (Zazie Beetz), visiting the villainous Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade) in jail in search of recommendation. Now critically bulked-up, the huge guinea pig greets her like a rodent Hannibal Lecter.

The movie options far too many fart jokes courtesy of the ever-flatulent Mr. Piranha, though that may be readily forgiven in an animated movie for the reason that small fry at all times discover these hilarious. But the screenplay by Yoni Brenner and Etan Cohen is mostly a lot smarter than that, that includes a plethora of sly one-liners revolving extra round characterizations than pop-culture references. It helps mightily that they’re delivered by such a stellar ensemble of performers, who really appear to have been forged for his or her vocal skills somewhat than their names (though there’s no scarcity of star energy).

All of them are completely terrific, however the clear stand-out, now and earlier than, is Rockwell, who invests his portrayal with the identical aptitude and precision evident in his live-action performances.

Displaying the identical visible dynamism as its precursor, The Bad Guys 2 garners much more laughs with its abrupt edits that land like animated mic drops. Daniel Pemberton’s energetic musical rating provides to the antic enjoyable.