Imagine “Ocean 11” meets “Mission Impossible” and “Fast and Furious” in a “Zootopia” style and you've got “The Bad Guys.”
The Bad Guys are comprised of suave leader Mr. Wolf, safe-cracking Mr. Snake, tech wizard Ms. Tarantula, disguise master Mr. Shark and wild-charging Mr. Piranha. They like being bad and proud of their accomplishments. Despite of their successful heists and treasures, newly appointed Governor Foxington pities them and thinks that being bad is not nearly as brave as being good.
When Governor Foxington announces an award to be bestowed at a town gala to the Good Samaritan of the year, Professor Marmalade, a mild-mannered guinea pig, the animal criminals are determined to steal the award. Mr. Wolf catches the Governor's attention and charms his way through, while the rest of the crew do their part – setting traps, creating distractions, disguising themselves, security-hacking and sneaking into tight spots, with hysterical narrow-misses.
It was during this event that Mr. Wolf accidentally finds himself doing a good deed and realizes that it makes him feel good. The eye-opening experience distracts Mr. Wolf much that it gets the team caught at the gala.
Do-gooder Professor Marmalade believes in second chances and that people are essentially good. He wins Governor Foxington’s approval to potentially pardon the Bad Guys if he could coach and mentor the con artists and thieves and they’re able prove they can be good.
Mr. Wolf has a hard time convincing his friends that there may be something worthwhile about turning a new leaf. It creates discord within the team, so Mr. Wolf tells them that they're only pretending to be reformed model citizens, and when the chance to turn back into being bad arises, they would.
That chance arrives when Professor Marmalade's social experiment is deemed to be successful, as the town is celebrating the Bad Guys turning into the Good Guys. Little did they know the seemingly Good Guys is planning another heist at a party in their name. They're planning to rob the rare meteor that will be on display. The meteor fell into and destroyed swaths of the city a year earlier and now it’s a prized artifact.
This is where things go askew. The Bad Guys may have personally been impacted by the feel-good feeling of being perceived as good and their newfound popularity. The Bad Guys are framed for the missing meteor and the real villain works behind the shadow. The twists keep on coming. Identities are unmasked, new allies and enemies form and re-form, rolling into a crazy adventure after another.
As crazy as the adventures turn out to be, the antics among friends, especially a running gag between Mr. Snake and Mr. Shark is not to be missed. And there may be a human reason why some people, or in this case, anthropomorphic animals, may feel they have no choice but being bad. As the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover.
“The Bad Guys” is adventurous, hilarious and twisty caper, tons of fun for all ages.
