Here’s one of the few animated kids’ sequels you can approach without strapping into a hazmat suit for protection. DreamWorks’s franchise hits its stride with this minor upgrade – a snappier, funnier and more relaxed movie than the original. It begins like a Bond or Bourne with a death-defying car chase around Cairo after the gang of criminal predators pull off yet another a splashy heist. Behind the wheel of the getaway car is ringleader Mr Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell, and doing such a decent Clooney impersonation that George should shake him down for royalties).
Actually, the chase is a flashback to five years ago. Right now, in the present, Mr Wolf, Mr Snake, Mr Shark and the gang have gone straight. But their fresh start as good guys is scuppered by a snow leopard and a frame-up for a series of daring heists involving a precious metal called MacGuffinite (a silly gag for film-buff adults). The best character from the first movie, super-villainous guinea pig Professor Marmalade (voiced by Richard Ayoade) is also back. Locked up in a maximum security prison, he’s prison fit and covered with tattoos, his newfound physical menace let down only slightly by a nasally whine.
There’s more wit and energy this time around, and a genuinely sweet message about friendship. Even the fart joke (every kids’ movie must have at least one) was a cut above and had the adults giggling. That said, my reviewing buddy who rated the original Bad Guys 10 stars out of five in 2022 when she was five, was less enthusiastic this time around. “It was OK,” she muttered. So what do I know?
• The Bad Guys 2 is out on 25 July in the UK, on 1 August in the US, and 18 September in Australia.
