The Bad Guys 2

Coasting on the amusing chemistry and antics among its quirky anthropomorphic antiheroes, The Bad Guys 2 might not be all bad, but it depends whether you’re talking about the characters or the movie.

Highlighted by richly detailed animation, this follow-up to the middling 2022 adventure offers some scattered big laughs yet perhaps inevitably feels more familiar than fresh.

This installment returns us to the crime-infested streets of a fictional urban-noir world where humans and animals coexist. The title characters find themselves caught in the middle.

“Here we are, law-abiding citizens starting over with a clean slate, and we can’t wait for society to welcome us with open arms,” sardonically intones the narration of Mr. Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell), who leads a ragtag group of formerly unscrupulous rogues who had turned over a new leaf at the end of the prior film.

Of course, going straight permanently is complicated for Wolf and his cohorts — including Snake (Marc Maron), Shark (Craig Robinson), Piranha (Anthony Ramos), and Tarantula (Awkwafina) — by their shared reputation and resume of past misdeeds.

The path of least resistance, both for the Bad Guys and the film, becomes returning to their criminal roots. Snake becomes enamored with female bird Doom (Natasha Lyonne) with ulterior motives. As the others try to keep Snake on track, they learn of Doom’s affiliation with the equally alluring Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks) and Pigtail (Maria Bakalova).

Their shared goal becomes to pilfer some valuable space technology with a plan that goes sideways after encountering some old nemeses from their past.

That sets into motion myriad subplots to distract our attention, for better and worse. Returning director Pierre Perifel, this time teaming with veteran animator and rookie director J.P. Sans, includes a breezy array of sight gags and one-liners, some of which are inspired, such as a visually thrilling tribute to lucha libre culture.

Unfortunately, the screenplay struggles to find a meaningful path forward for them, as mayhem tends to obscure any subtlety in the central storyline or in the message of loyalty and second chances.

As it funnels toward a chaotic finale, even by the low-bar standards of animated sequels, The Bad Guys 2 is more silly than substantial.

Rated PG, 104 minutes.