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The Bad Guys 2

The Bad Guys 2

Team reviewed
1h 44m2025United States of America
FamilialComédieCrimeAventureAnimation

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Detailed parental analysis

The Bad Guys 2 is a brisk, colourful and lighthearted animated comedy that continues the adventures of animals formerly engaged in crime who are seeking to build themselves a new reputation. The plot plunges them into a new mission that tests both their commitment to doing good and their group cohesion. The film is primarily aimed at children from six years old onwards, but contains enough subtext to hold parents' attention as well.

Underlying Values

The film builds its central message around the difficulty of changing one's social identity when others' perception remains trapped in what one used to be. This question is tackled with genuine narrative sincerity: the characters are not simply rewarded for their efforts, they must contend with the persistent mistrust of those around them. Group loyalty, forgiveness and the value of earned rather than demanded trust form the moral pillars of the story. It is rich ground for discussion with a child, particularly on the questions of prejudice and the right to reinvent oneself.

Violence

Action scenes are numerous, stylised and energetic, featuring chases, explosions and hand-to-hand combat. There is no bloody or gory violence: everything remains within the codes of mainstream family animation, in the same vein as a general audiences superhero film. Violence is functional and serves humour and spectacle, never gratuitous or indulgent. Children sensitive to highly agitated atmospheres may be stimulated, but will not be frightened or shocked.

Substances

A character appears in a state of intoxication, treated in a comedic register without glorification. Several characters are incapacitated without their knowledge via sweets containing a tranquilliser, which constitutes an act of drugging without consent narratively presented as either a negative or comedic act depending on context. These elements remain peripheral to the story's economy, but warrant being named with a young child who might not grasp the problematic dimension of such an act.

Language

The language register is generally mild, with a few colloquial English words present in the original version such as 'jackass', 'butt' or 'hell'. In the French version, the equivalent remains well within acceptable limits for the target age. Nothing that warrants particular attention for a child over six years old.

Sex and Nudity

A few flirtatious exchanges between adult characters and an animated kiss scene constitute the sole romantic dimension of the film. All of this remains very mild and calls for no specific discussion with a child.

Strengths

The film sustains its pace with constant visual energy and humour that works on multiple levels of reading, making it genuinely shareable entertainment between parents and children. The theme of redemption and social perception is treated with more depth than one would expect in a commercial animated sequel. If the screenplay is less coherent and more overloaded than the first instalment, the film preserves a generosity of tone and genuine affection for its characters that give it an authentic warmth. It offers a natural entry point for conversations about judgement, second chances and trust.

Age recommendation and discussion points

The film is suitable from age six with no major reservations. After viewing, two angles of discussion are worth pursuing: why do the other characters in the film struggle to believe that the Bad Guys have truly changed, and is it fair to judge someone solely on what they did in the past? The scene with the tranquilliser sweets can also be an opportunity to explain simply to a young child why one should never give someone food or drink without their consent.

Synopsis

The now-reformed Bad Guys are trying (very, very hard) to be good, but instead find themselves hijacked into a high-stakes, globe-trotting heist, masterminded by a new team of criminals they never saw coming: The Bad Girls.

About this title

Format
Feature film
Year
2025
Runtime
1h 44m
Countries
United States of America
Original language
EN
Studios
DreamWorks Animation

Content barometer

  • Violence
    2/5
    Moderate
  • Fear
    1/5
    Mild
  • Sexuality
    1/5
    Allusions
  • Language
    1/5
    Mild
  • Narrative complexity
    2/5
    Moderate
  • Adult themes
    1/5
    Mild

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Values conveyed