Netflix has just added one of the best animated films of recent years. The Bad Guys is a family friendly romp.
A lot of people have love for superhero movies and fairytales. Don't get me wrong, they're fine, but for me, life is rarely so black and white. There aren't goodies and baddies.
Then we come to the anthropomorphic animal crew in The Bad Guys, which has just been added to Netflix. They are actually baddies. In homage to Reservoir Dogs, they are each named Mr Wolf, Mr Snake, Ms Tarantula, Mr Piranha and Mr Shark. And just like that famous Tarantino movie, very quickly the crew find themselves in a heist that goes wrong.
To avoid jail, the gang's leader, Mr Wolf - who could charm a pig out of a brick house - convinces the team to 'go good' and become heroes. Well... at least on the surface. Of course, Wolf and the gang are merely using the pretence to get up to their old schemes again. But then again, can they really change their ways? Only time will tell.
Joining Sam Rockwell are Marc Marron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Zazie Beets and The IT Crowd star Richard Ayoade as Marmalade, a kindly guinea pig who I can't unsee whenever Ayoade is on TV. There are of course plenty of gags for kids and parents, but there's also a lot of heart of a positive message about not judging a book by its cover that kids can take away.
The premise may be a bit similar to the likes of Despicable Me or Megamind, but this movie scores better than both of these rivals with critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes with 88% from critics and 93% from regular viewers (and I agree). So instead of watching Gru and the Minions for the umpteenth time this Easter, try something different.
If you're looking for some more distractions - I mean films - to watch with the family over the break, then you're in luck, we've found some of the best on Netflix.
Note: In the US The Bad Guys is streaming on Prime Video.
