The Bad Guys, a collection of kids’ books originally written by fellow Australian, Aaron Balbey, has broken into the big leagues with the brand-new feature film that shares the same name. This fully animated film is brought to us by Universal Studios and DreamWorks animation with first-time head director, Pierre Perifel. Gather the whole family as we follow the Bad Guys as they attempt to pull off their biggest heist yet, and this time, it’s personal.

Visuals of a movie are always a balancing act of artistic intent vs execution, and the layers of animation at play here are certainly impressive. The 3D animation style had a layer of comic book style expression that amplified the wild and wacky experience. It gave a throwback feeling to the Looney Toons, over-the-top antics which gave the action scenes a bit of extra kick. The attention-to-detail extended out to the cinematography that was able to keep track of multiple character arcs that each plays out at the same time during any given heist.

The main star and his gang are a host of anthropomorphic criminals, with Mr. Wolf being the leader of the pack. Together they have collectively managed to rob and pillage the world over and are unanimously feared by the world. There is no explanation as to why there are so few like them and thankfully, an explanation wasn’t necessarily needed. Aside from the stoic Fox Mayor and a goodie-two-shoes Guinea pig, everyone else is a regular old human. With such a unique set of characters to bring to life, the cast of voice actors is just as important as the film itself.

Sam Rockwell and Marc Maron headline as Mr. Wolf and Mr. Snake with a cutthroat and cocky way of life, as they lead their small gang to ill-gotten gains. Awkwafina provides digital support with her finesse of the web as Ms. Tarantula. She may be small, but her talents are larger than life. This leaves the muscle of the operation to Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha.

His gutsiness makes him a force to be reckoned with which can only be rivalled by his insufferable gas. All of this is only made easier by having a master-of-disguise, which is where Mr. Shark, played by Craig Robinson comes into play. His quick thinking is easily the most baffling and by far the centre of the comedic relief.

Their combined synergy is at its best when the heists are in full swing, and the high-octane thrill ride of the car chases are wreaking havoc on the town. I have always appreciated the effort that goes into tailoring a film aimed at a younger audience so that it also reflects some of the more, let’s say adult themes, to help keep it interesting for the parental units watching it with the kids. There is a particular scene at a diner, at the beginning of the film, that gave me Pulp Fiction vibes and with each new Heist set up, it gave an eerily similar run down to that of Ocean’s 11.

There is an old saying that what goes up, must come down, and a play on Mr. Wolf’s ego was all it took. A life of crime mirrored the celebrated life of Professor Marmalade and after landing in some hot water, Mr. Wolf makes a hail Mary play to twist fate in his favour with his biggest con. A challenge is set for the saint Professor Marmalade to turn them into the good guys, the question is which side would crack first.

From that point onwards, a roller-coaster of events, setups, and twists come in quick succession that maintained the momentum found at the start of the film.

The was an underlying feeling that I carried throughout the film, which I never felt that the crew was ever in danger or that there would be lasting punishments. It is par for the course for animated films to have exaggerated events or physics for a comedic effect, but the issues that I had were that the entire population was as dumb as a rock, making every heist section a walk in the park for the most part. Granted, it was never intended to be the most intricate movie, it just lessened the impact of the moments of growth that were shown between the characters.

As a ‘my first heist’ movie experience, The Bad Guys is a roller coaster ride for the whole family to enjoy. Lively characters, brilliant art style, and easy-to-follow action are the highlights to take away from this film.

Written by: Shane Fletcher