The Bad Guys have turned over a new leaf, but everyone else is struggling to believe their intentions are pure, which means they are rather struggling with the idea of gainful employment. The answer is of course to help track down the criminal scourge currently causing a fuss in the city, but this will bring The Bad Guys dangerously close to their old lifestyle. 

For anyone familiar with my review of the original The Bad Guys they will know that as much as I wanted to love it and found Sam Rockwell channelling George Clooney a lot of fun, I also found it rather ordinary. So I am really pleased to say that this sequel does a lot to improve upon the original and is definitely now something that stands up as both kids entertainment and something that is a lot of fun for those adults who have brought them along to the cinema. 

As with the first film, this one opens with a brilliant car chase preceded by an audacious heist. It essentially acts as an origin story for the gang’s car and a great segue into their life as ordinary citizens. There are some rather more interesting morals to discuss here around criminal rehabilitation and acceptance of people’s past misgivings, but you are never too far away from a fart gag. 

Overall the entire affair feels far more confident than the original. Wolf, played by Sam Rockwell continues to be a charismatic lead. Snake, played by Marc Maron gets to be a lot funnier and be more than just a character who does a predictable heel turn in the original. Zazie Beetz as Diane Foxington is disappointingly sidelined somewhat, but we get the addition of some new characters and the return of an old villain to make up for it. With the likes of Natasha Lyonne and Richard Ayoade stealing the voice credit accolades. 

The animation is again absolutely top notch and I loved the 2D cartoonier elements used for emphasis in certain situations. 

Overall it is a much punchier affair than its predecessor and something that clearly could run and run as far as sequels are concerned.