Movie review
July 24, 2025 · 104 min · PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Bad Guys 2 follows the reformed animal crew trying (and failing) to live as good guys until an all-female criminal team blackmails them into one last globe-trotting heist. The story sticks to classic redemption, trust issues, and second-chance comedy with zero explicit politics, identity lectures, or activist messaging. Diverse voice casting and the new female squad add some variety but stay background flavor for the heist fun. No creator push, no major changes to the original characters, and basically no woke backlash.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Bad Guys 2.
Woke representation / casting
Diverse voice cast with Black actors in key roles and a new all-female rival crew, but all incidental to the animal-heist plot with no identity framing or messaging.
Woke political dialogue
No evidence of any activist or political lines; story stays in pure comedy territory.
Identity-driven story themes
Light, generic redemption and “second chances” arcs that feel like standard kids-movie fare, not modern identity politics.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Mild comedic jabs at societal distrust of ex-criminals and a billionaire tech trope, but played for laughs and not central or preachy.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Virtually none; backlash is absent or fringe at best.
Creator track record context
Solid mainstream comedy and family-animation history with no pattern of activist or identity-focused work.
Production
