The Bad Guys - Turbine Collector Series 3D Blu-ray (German Import)

Given how severely the global Pandemic upended everyone’s lives, it’s no wonder some of the biggest hits in theaters were family films. People finally got to climb out of their protective bubbles and breathe some fresh air and they smelled fresh buttery popcorn! Universal certainly had a hell of a 2022 registering big box office draws for Jurassic World: Dominion and Illumination Animation’s Minions: The Rise of Gru. Now, not as big a draw as those two, but successful on its own was Dreamworks’ adaptation of the Aaron Blabey book series The Bad Guys. A world inhabited by humans and fully anthropomorphized animals, the film plays up some classic crime epics and heist films mixing in family-friendly humor and plot beats for a familiar but pretty damn fun film. 

At the heart of our gang of thieves, we have Wolf (Sam Rockwell), the brains of the operation. When a safe needs cracking, there’s Snake (Marc Maron). When you need tech support you’ve got Tarantula (Awkwafina) spinning her webs to tie up the world-wide-web. As a master of disguise, they can always turn to Shark (Craig Robinson) to get them inside. And then for fear factor, they can rely on Piranha (Anthony Ramos). But after a lifetime of crime, the gang has a chance to go straight thanks to the help of Mayor Foxington (Zazie Beetz) and Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade). Only it’s harder to go straight than you’d think, especially when you’ve been hired for an inside job!

If you’ve seen enough gangster films, crime epics, and heist flicks, there’s little of anything new or unfamiliar in The Bad Guys. Find all of the familiar plot beats of those genres and The Bad Guys starts checking boxes very quickly with any number of homages to any number of classic films. Now that’s only a problem if you’re an adult. If you’re a kid, this is likely your first introduction to that world of odd-ball heroes and miscreants where you’re actually encouraged to root for the unsavory criminal element. And that’s where The Bad Guys shows its biggest strength. 

It’s not for the adults in the room, but it’s a film that the Moms out there or Dads like me can have fun with. If nothing else, spotting references to the classics makes the film all the more enjoyable. Now I don’t particularly understand the world our story takes place in. The hows and whys humans and full ambulatory animals coexist isn't explained. It might make sense if you know the book series - I don’t. But if you’re a kid, who cares if a human police chief voiced by Alex Bornstein is in hot pursuit of Sam Rockwell’s Wolf?

Beautifully animated, I’d heard some folks make comparisons to Sony’s Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse and sure, there are some comparisons, but not at all the same. Where the Spider-Verse films aim to bring a comic book to life, The Bad Guys is working hard to bring the bright colorful pages of a kids' book to the big screen. There is a lot of visual spectacle to keep you engaged, some great humor, and a plot that may be familiar for the adults but still fun enough Mom and Dad can enjoy it with the kids. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 3D
Like Jurassic World: Domination and Minions: The Rise of Gru before it, The Bad Guys scores a second run on Blu-ray 3D thanks to Germany’s Turbine Medien. The third entry in the label’s Turbine Collector Series, the film is pressed on a BD-50 disc and housed in a clear case with reversible artwork revealing the film’s English title. The disc loads to an animated main menu with basic navigation options.

Like the earlier Turbine Collector Series titles on Blu-ray 3D, The Bad Guys is another excellent three-dimensional experience. And like Minions: The Rise of Gru, I didn’t pick up the disc from the late great Random Space Media, so I don’t have that for comparison. However, I’m really impressed with how this title uses space and depth. There are 2-D-styled animations mixed over three-dimensional characters with a wide open world for our Animal and Human characters to populate. It’s a stylish and visually exciting experience. Offering a deep Z-axis “window-into-a-world” experience, there are some fun pop-out effects throughout. Again those 2-D-styled accents are a highlight in that arena. The colors are bright and vivid. The lines are clean. I didn’t notice any kind of ghosting or issues along those lines with my setup.

Once again, Turbine gives fans of Blu-ray 3D a reason to consider a purchase because they’ve outfitted this disc with another banger of an Atmos track. The film starts out all quiet and conversation with a fun Pulp Fiction homage but then dives all in on the wall-to-wall action. You’ve got the Front/Center channels banging away while the surrounds and heights fully populate this world with a full range of audio effects. The soundscape is gleefully expansive with all of the big city chase sequences but then tightens and narrows effectively for all of the sneaky heist scenes. Dialog is clean and clear without issue. Music cues are full and powerful. LFE gives plenty of rumble in the floorboards. A fun mix for an enjoyable ride.

No bonus features are present. I figure if you previously bought any of the past Blu-ray or 4K sets out there, this disc will more or less complete your collection owning all available disc formats. 

Three for three, with this disc of The Bad Guys, I hope Turbine stays in the Blu-ray 3D game with their Turbine Collector Series line. There are a lot of Universal and Paramount titles that never got a decent 3D disc or have become so scarce that gray-market prices are prohibitive. That's to say nothing of the various Disney titles that you have to import 3D discs from Japan and an insane cost! While I may not fully understand the world of The Bad Guys with humans and animals living together, I gotta admit the film’s fun take on gangster and heist films won me over. Here’s hoping that the sequel gets to us sooner rather than later. For now, this disc sports and excellent three-dimensional experience while letting the Atmos track deliver some fun rattle and rumble to your audio setup. Recommended