The Bad Guys 2 - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Bad Guys 2



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
For once I feel behind the times as I never got a chance to see 2022’s The Bad Guys back when it came out. I remember it coming and going pretty quickly and saying “If I have the chance to review this one, I will”, only for it to get forgotten midst all of the other films that came out around that time period. Well, fast forward 3 years and the sequel shows up on my doorstep and I’m immediately going into over drive to watch the first film in preparation for this sequel, and wondering why I ever passed on the original to begin with.

Reformed from their days of criminal skulduggery, the “Bad Guys” are now trying to get their lives on track and get real jobs. Wolf (Sam Rockwell) is struggling the worst out of the bunch, as no one wants to hire a criminal mastermind, and he’s feeling dejected and rejected as a result. The rest of the crew isn’t doing much better, but Snake (Marc Maron) who has been going out every few nights and living his best life. However, things take a weird turn when it the police Commissioner (Alex Borstein) notices a string of burglaries in high value areas. Not only that, every item stolen has one thing in common. They’re made out of McGuffinite (OK, I got a chuckle out of that). And you guessed it, she immediately thinks that the Bad Guys are back to their old tricks.

Desperate to prove that they’ve turned over a new leaf, Wolf, Tarantula (Awkwafina), Shark (Craig Robinson) and Piranha (Anthony Ramos) are on the case. Initially thinking that Snake’s late night activities were a sign that he was the thief, the other 4 decide to follow him to a Luchadora match, only to realize that they’ve been set up for the crimes. Now, with the commissioner and her forces hot on their tails, the Bad Guys have to figure out who is stealing the McGuffinite, where it’s been taken, and somehow figure out how to turn in said criminal mastermind and clear their respective names.

Bad Guys 2 feels like something that Hollywood should have been doing a long time ago. Making mid range movies that don’t have to make a billion dollars to break even or show some profit. Fun movies that had a sub $100 million budget and could make a modest box office as a result. Sure, it’s not going to rival Pixar in their heyday, nor will it be as big as How To Train Your Dragon. But The Bad Guys 2 is fun, escapist, family fun that just works. Sam Rockwell is a treat as Wolf (seriously, Sam Rockwell can’t turn in a bad performance), and the rest of the cast are having a ball with their roles. The film plays out simply, with a light morality tale wrapped up in a fun heist. Nothing too deep, not to cheap, and worth every penny.

I honestly had a blast with the film, and didn’t mind one bit that it was a child’s story at heart without trying to be a life changing event. The story is as old as time (being accepted for who you are, working through your problems and not projecting them on others, and respect is earned and not taken), but when you created charming characters it doesn’t matter how simple the story is. If I did have to criticism the movie, it’s that some of the bad guys tropes are a bit “skin deep”, if you know what I mean. Especially Snake and Susan. But overall, this is a fun little caper movie that doesn’t try to be an enormous blockbuster and as a result, succeeds quite well.




Rating:

Rated PG for action/mild violence, rude humor and language.




4K Video: Video:

The Bad Guys 2 looks great in 4K, with a rich color palette that pops off the screen in what can only be described as “water color-esque” in nature. The film’s animation style is a bit smeary, a bit hand brushed looking (though it was obviously digitally created) and that unique flair gives it some pizazz. It also sometimes limits the clarity a bit, as the animation style is not always super detailed. That being said, characters themselves show the best detail levels, with wolf showing off individual bits of fur and hair, and the Governor and her trim suits allowing every line and stitch on her pant suit to be keenly visible. Colors are rich and warm, with incredibly strong primary shades thanks to the Dolby Vision. Black levels are strong and deep, with nice shadow detail (especially in the lair where they’re all cuffed up waiting for the blackmail video to upload) and overall this is a good looking disc. Compared to the Blu-ray it’s not a night and day upgrade, but rather a subtle fine tuning, with less banding, and slightly more detail levels. Personally I would rate this disc a 4.25 if I could, but I opted for 4.5/5 as 4/5 seemed too low as well. So keep that in mind.







Audio:

The belle of the ball is most DEFINITELY the Dolby Atmos track Universal provided us (on both the Blu-ray and the 4K UHD I might add) on The Bad Guys 2. This is a rocking track that features so much action and so much chaos that the surrounds and LFE never turn off I swear. Short swathes of the film are more dialogue centric, but as I said, there’s so much activity going on that the surrounds and bass just don’t ever shut up. Cars roar, engines rumble, and that shuttle taking off in the last act of the film is just divine. Earth shaking and skull cracking is probably the best description of that take off. Voices are clean as clear, surrounds are wildly dynamic, and the bass is power for this one. If you want a demo disc this year, I think we got a top contender right here.








Extras:

• Feature Commentary with Director Pierre Perifel, Co-Director JP Sans, Head of Character Animation Benjamin Willis, Head of Story Katherine de Vries, and Head of Cinematography, Layout Théophile Bondoux
• LITTLE LIES AND ALIBIS: In this animated short, the Bad Guys recount their chaotic day to their parole officer after arriving 10 minutes late to their hearing.
• Deleted Scenes with Introductions by Director Pierre Perifel and Co-Director JP Sans:
-- Lowrider Chase
-- Crime Sisters
• BAD GUYS: Out of Line: Step into the studio with the cast as they record some of their silliest lines in this hilarious montage of recording booth moments!
• Double Jeopardy: The Making of THE BAD GUYS 2: Cast and filmmakers unveil their master plan to bring the Bad Guys back together for another epic heist!
• Meet the Gang: The gang is back together! Catch up with the all-star cast behind your favorite Bad Guys and meet the Bad Girls!
• Double Trouble: The Animals Behind THE BAD GUYS 2: The cast of THE BAD GUYS 2 meet the real-life animal versions of their characters!
• Causing a Scene: Learn how the film's adrenaline pumping action sequences came to life!
• Planning the Heist: Director Pierre Perifel and Co-Director JP Sans break down how they devised the elaborate Lucha Heist in this hilarious show and tell!
• Sketching the Bad Girls: A crime has been committed and the suspects are…the Bad Girls! Co-Director JP Sans (witness to the incident) gives a description of each of the suspects to the detective, Producer Damon Ross, and the sketch artist, Director Pierre Perifel, who shows how to draw them yourself!
-- Kitty
-- Doom
-- Pigtail

Final Score: ​

The Bad Guys 2 is refreshing and fun, and once again proves that not every animated film needs to make a billion dollars in order to break even. I’m really hoping this is more the direction like Dreamworks takes, as the industry as is is unsustainable. But hey, this was a fun romp with absolutely killer audio/video specs and some decent extras for once. A solid family flick that was fun enough for the adults, and accessible enough for the kids without being too lopsided. Definitely a fun watch.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Mark Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Alex Bornstein, Richard Ayoade
Directed by: JP Sans, Pierre Perifel
Written by: Yoni Brennar, Etan Cohen, Aaron Blabey
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), French, Spanish DD 7.1 DD+
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: PG
Runtime: 104 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 7th, 2025

Recommendation: Fun Watch

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[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed the first one. Didn't get a chance to see this one.

Will check it out.