"less stinkers than last year": Netizens praise The Bad Guys 2 as a fresh, goofy family comedy

The Bad Guys 2, the sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s 2022 crime-comedy hit, is finally set to release on August 1, 2025, and has quickly become a notable entry in this year’s lineup of animated family films.

Directed by Pierre Perifel and written by Etan Cohen, the film follows Mr. Wolf and his crew of reformed ex-cons: Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Ms. Tarantula, and Mr. Shark, who now work as reformed heroes.

With a runtime of 104 minutes, The Bad Guys 2 blends visual spectacle with structured character development and globally set pieces ranging across Cairo, a lucha libre arena, and a space-set finale featuring a fictional energy source commonly known as “MacGuffinite.”

More importantly, the movie has been well-received, earning an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic rating of 65 at the time of writing. It has been praised for its vibrant animation, humor, and a storyline and structure that improve upon its predecessor.

Following its premiere, The Bad Guys 2 became a regular topic in various subreddits, including r/boxoffice. Fans have shared reviews, debated character arcs, and compared the sequel to both the original movie and other recent animated releases.

One commonly cited remark in the review thread on r/boxoffice, by u/NoNefariousness2144, stated:

A Reddit user reacts to The Bad Guys 2 (Image via Reddit)

“Everything seems to be reviewing well lately,” an individual mentioned. “RottenTomatoes is generally forgiving platform. You only need 80% of reviewers to give movie 6/10 and it’s suddenly 80% fresh,” another individual mentioned.

These responses suggest that while many are excited by the movie's critical success, there remains an awareness that scores can sometimes mask middling reviews.

In contrast to the skepticism shown by some users regarding critical scores, several individuals have expressed genuine satisfaction with how The Bad Guys 2 compares to its predecessor.

“Man, the first film was pretty good and now the sequel is on par, that’s what I like to see,” a netizen wrote. “I've only seen the rocket launch sequence on a trailer, and went from "Oh hey they're making a sequel. The first one was alright" and got gradually more and more excited and impressed by the action animation and physical comedy during that sequence,” a redditor wrote. “Mr Wolf walk ups bouta be wild,” another redditor echoed.

The comments indicate that the sequel maintained the comedic strengths of the original film, including its pacing, its tone, and its style of animation, while also introducing enough new and unique elements to justify its continuation.

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The Bad Guys 2 develops the franchise with new villains

The Bad Guys 2 is a long-awaited sequel to DreamWorks Animation's acclaimed 2022 film The Bad Guys. The sequel premiered first in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2025, followed by its US release on August 1, 2025, and rolled out in other countries, including Australia.

The movie carries on with the adventures of previously villainous animals Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), and Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), who turn into law-abiding citizens who become involved in a world-hopping disaster.

The Bad Guys are manipulated by a competing female crime syndicate, the Bad Girls, into a scheme that involves a space-based heist involving a rocket bound for the moon, from which they are designed to steal the world’s gold.

The sequel features the return of the original star-studded voice cast, including Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, and Anthony Ramos. It also introduces Danielle Brooks, Natasha Lyonne, and Maria Bakalova as new members of the Bad Girls, providing more depth to the ensemble cast.

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The Bad Guys 2 is now in theaters across the globe.

Edited by Shubham Soni