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Sunday, August 6, 2023

THE BAD GUYS (2022)

Turns out you’re not the only animation head who’s soured on the soulless, over-processed default look that’s become CGI standard over the last decade or so.  So too are the best new CGI animators!*   And this debut feature from director Pierre Perifel counts as a major step in shattering the mold at DREAMWORKS, the most House Style driven of the major animation warrens.  And if narrative & development still overdose on reflexive gags, pointless Pop referencing, relentless pacing (DreamWorks never met a pause or reflective moment they didn’t fear would bore someone), those welcome changes in story & tone were already in the pipeline for later in 2022 via PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH (https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2023/01/puss-in-boots-last-wish-2022.html).  This one involves a gang of scary beasts (The Bad Guys: wolf, snake, tarantula, et al.) villains by nature or expectation (?) who pretend to mend their ways and play Good Guys as a ruse to their next big score . . . only to learn that it can feel Good to be Good.  Downright GRINCH-y, no?  But the film is mostly great fun to watch, especially an impressively long & well-structured main set piece, a gala fund-raiser where the caper will take place.  (It also has the single best visual gag in the pic.  Something to do with a martini.)  Sam Rockwell’s wolf goes heavy on Jack Nicholson (he’s really a lot like ‘Tramp’ in LADY AND THE TRAMP/’55) while Anthony Ramos shows off some serious pipes on his big ‘Numbo.’  The film likable if not particularly memorable.  Now if we could just get Perifel off the DreamWorks teat and see what he could do with a bit more autonomy.

READ ALL ABOUT IT/LINK:  *Here’s that recent NYTimes article.  https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/movies/spider-man-versus-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles.html

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