Filmtracks Home Page Filmtracks Logo
MODERN SOUNDTRACK REVIEWS
Menu Search
Scoreboard Forum
The Bad Guys scores are great, y'all just hate fun

The Bad Guys scores are great, y'all just hate fun
jjstarA113
<Send E-Mail>
(syn-071-070-205-217.res.spectrum.
com)
Sunday, August 3, 2025 (4:41 p.m.) 
Now Playing: Daniel Pemberton - The Bad Guys 2

The first score from 2022 is an insane amount of jazzy, caper-y fun, although it arguably plays better in film order and with at least a few of the needle drops in place (https://chrono-score.blogspot.com/2023/01/bad-guys-2022.html). Now with The Bad Guys 2, I'll admit that for the first half of the album I was worried it was TOO much of a repeat of the first score, but by the end - especially when they get into outer space - it does expand in scope while maintaining the same themes and general sound, which is what any good sequel should do. Not exactly the glow-up that Across the Spider-Verse was compared to Into the Spider-Verse, but still a great time. I'll also admit that I love it whenever the "Dies Irae" is used in film music. big grin

The film itself is, again, a lot of fun! Some are saying it's better than the first, and maybe in some ways it is, but for me it's been a pretty consistent plane of great cartoon filmmaking from 1 to 2.


Post Full Response
Edit Post         Threaded Display
  In Response to:
sivakumark52
  Responses to this Message:
AhN
JBlough
Jonathan Broxton
Steven P.
sivakumark52


Who's hating??
AhN
<Send E-Mail>
(136-33-0-127.googlefiber.net)
Profile Picture
Sunday, August 3, 2025 (6:25 p.m.) 

> The first score from 2022 is an insane amount of jazzy, caper-y fun,
> although it arguably plays better in film order and with at least a few of
> the needle drops in place
> (https://chrono-score.blogspot.com/2023/01/bad-guys-2022.html). Now with
> The Bad Guys 2, I'll admit that for the first half of the album I
> was worried it was TOO much of a repeat of the first score, but by the end
> - especially when they get into outer space - it does expand in scope
> while maintaining the same themes and general sound, which is what any
> good sequel should do. Not exactly the glow-up that Across the
> Spider-Verse
was compared to Into the Spider-Verse, but still a
> great time. I'll also admit that I love it whenever the 'Dies Irae' is
> used in film music. big grin

> The film itself is, again, a lot of fun! Some are saying it's better than
> the first, and maybe in some ways it is, but for me it's been a pretty
> consistent plane of great cartoon filmmaking from 1 to 2.

I really liked the first score and I don't remember seeing much negativity around it! I haven't gotten to the new one yet but everything you're saying sounds like I'll like it too.

Your clickbait worked though tongue


Post Full Response
Edit Post         Threaded Display
  In Response to:
jjstarA113
  Responses to this Message:
AhN
JBlough
Jonathan Broxton
Steven P.
sivakumark52


Re: The Bad Guys scores are great, y'all just hate fun
JBlough
<Send E-Mail>
(c-67-165-173-246.hsd1.il.comcast.
net)
Profile Picture
Sunday, August 3, 2025 (6:39 p.m.) 

> The first score from 2022 is an insane amount of jazzy, caper-y fun

I'll admit to having underrated it back in 2022 based on today's revisit. *** to a high-end ***1/2 at least. "The Man from U.N.C.L.E., but it's animated."

The sequel score seemed just as good. I'll admit the thematic narrative isn't completely transparent with either score though. I'd love it if you or someone else could help break it down.

> although it arguably plays better in film order and with at least a few of the needle drops in place

Well snap. I'll have to give your sequence a listen this week.

> I'll also admit that I love it whenever the 'Dies Irae' is used in film music. big grin

Yeah, nice villain theme there - with that funk mix and big Barry drum hits to boot!


Post Full Response
Edit Post         Threaded Display
  In Response to:
jjstarA113
  Responses to this Message:
jjstarA113


Re: The Bad Guys scores are great, y'all just hate fun [EDITED]
jjstarA113
<Send E-Mail>
(185.81.124.170)
Monday, August 4, 2025 (11:40 a.m.) 

> I'll admit to having underrated it back in 2022 based on today's revisit.
> *** to a high-end ***1/2 at least. 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E., but
> it's animated.'

I actually have never listened to The Man from U.N.C.L.E. outside of some samples years ago, which I should remedy soon. Maybe that's why The Bad Guys didn't make a huge splash here: Pemberton has already done all of this before, and I recall film score fans being VERY positive about U.N.C.L.E.

> The sequel score seemed just as good. I'll admit the thematic narrative
> isn't completely transparent with either score though. I'd love it if you
> or someone else could help break it down.

I'd say the main "Bad Guys" theme is pretty prominent in both scores and its variations alone keep the two scores very cohesive, but the first film also has a "good guy" theme ("Save the Cat"), a theme + flute motif for Diane/the Crimson Paw ("Secret Hideout"), and a villain theme for Professor Marmalade ("Evil Masterplan"). There's also the heist motif heard throughout "Meet the Bad Guys" that I don't remember showing up anywhere else in the first score (unless I'm brain-farting), but it's heard again in The Bad Guys 2 at least a few times.

Sadly, while the main theme, heist motif, and Diane's theme + motif carry over in the sequel, the "good guy" and "Marmalade" themes are seemingly abandoned; maybe Pemberton or the filmmakers wanted to keep things fresh, but considering that Marmalade makes a return and the Bad Guys are still trying to be good, I think it was a missed opportunity to let those themes go. But there are some new themes that I still need time to parse through, like the "Dies irae" for Kitty and the Bad Girls and the "GOODLIFE" song (also heard in "You Believe Us").

(Message edited on Monday, August 4, 2025, at 11:41 a.m.)


Post Full Response
Edit Post         Threaded Display
  In Response to:
JBlough
  Responses to this Message:
jjstarA113


Re: The Bad Guys scores are great, y'all just hate fun
Jonathan Broxton
<Send E-Mail>
(156.sub-174-218-83.myvzw.com)
Profile Picture
Sunday, August 3, 2025 (7:08 p.m.) 

Who hated it? I thought it was terrific!

https://moviemusicuk.us/2022/04/29/the-bad-guys-daniel-pemberton/

> The first score from 2022 is an insane amount of jazzy, caper-y fun,
> although it arguably plays better in film order and with at least a few of
> the needle drops in place
> (https://chrono-score.blogspot.com/2023/01/bad-guys-2022.html). Now with
> The Bad Guys 2, I'll admit that for the first half of the album I
> was worried it was TOO much of a repeat of the first score, but by the end
> - especially when they get into outer space - it does expand in scope
> while maintaining the same themes and general sound, which is what any
> good sequel should do. Not exactly the glow-up that Across the
> Spider-Verse
was compared to Into the Spider-Verse, but still a
> great time. I'll also admit that I love it whenever the 'Dies Irae' is
> used in film music. big grin

> The film itself is, again, a lot of fun! Some are saying it's better than
> the first, and maybe in some ways it is, but for me it's been a pretty
> consistent plane of great cartoon filmmaking from 1 to 2.



Post Full Response
Edit Post         Threaded Display
  In Response to:
jjstarA113
  Responses to this Message:
jjstarA113


Re: The Bad Guys scores are great, y'all just hate fun
jjstarA113
<Send E-Mail>
(syn-071-070-205-217.res.spectrum.
com)
Sunday, August 3, 2025 (7:56 p.m.) 
Now Playing: Daniel Pemberton - The Bad Guys 2

> Who hated it? I thought it was terrific!

> https://moviemusicuk.us/2022/04/29/the-bad-guys-daniel-pemberton/

Not really so much hate as indifference: the first score doesn't get talked about a whole lot here. Christian didn't even review it, which could be for a number of reasons but I like to assume the reason was that he found it obnoxious and loud. The most recent post before mine about The Bad Guys 2 lamented that this type of music was hard to sustain interest for the 80-plus-minute runtime, but if you ask me a score this fun deserves to run for a bit longer.


Post Full Response
Edit Post         Threaded Display
  In Response to:
AhN
  Responses to this Message:
AhN


Re: The Bad Guys scores are great, y'all just hate fun
AhN
<Send E-Mail>
(136-33-0-127.googlefiber.net)
Profile Picture
Sunday, August 3, 2025 (8:13 p.m.) 

> Not really so much hate as indifference: the first score doesn't get
> talked about a whole lot here. Christian didn't even review it, which
> could be for a number of reasons but I like to assume the reason was that
> he found it obnoxious and loud.

Fwiw, I just checked his 2022 awards and he mentions it twice for honorable mentions in his Best Cue category. We didn't put it in our community top 30, but I'd chalk that up to it being a competitive year.


Post Full Response
Edit Post         Threaded Display
  In Response to:
jjstarA113
  Responses to this Message:
AhN


Re: The Bad Guys scores are great, y'all just hate fun
Steven P.
(syn-050-089-024-100.res.spectrum.
com)
Profile Picture
Sunday, August 3, 2025 (7:42 p.m.) 

> The first score from 2022 is an insane amount of jazzy, caper-y fun,
> although it arguably plays better in film order and with at least a few of
> the needle drops in place
> (https://chrono-score.blogspot.com/2023/01/bad-guys-2022.html). Now with
> The Bad Guys 2, I'll admit that for the first half of the album I
> was worried it was TOO much of a repeat of the first score, but by the end
> - especially when they get into outer space - it does expand in scope
> while maintaining the same themes and general sound, which is what any
> good sequel should do. Not exactly the glow-up that Across the
> Spider-Verse
was compared to Into the Spider-Verse, but still a
> great time. I'll also admit that I love it whenever the 'Dies Irae' is
> used in film music. big grin

I really liked the first score. Tons of fun. Easily my favorite Pemberton score for an animated film (that's right, come at me web-heads).

> The film itself is, again, a lot of fun! Some are saying it's better than
> the first, and maybe in some ways it is, but for me it's been a pretty
> consistent plane of great cartoon filmmaking from 1 to 2.

After so many sequels, the first Bad Guys was a breath of fresh air from Dreamworks and really one of the their better films in recent years. I'm a little disappointed that they're jumping into more sequels so soon, but since I enjoyed the first film more than I expected I'm more than willing to give it a chance (same goes for Zootopia 2).


Post Full Response
Edit Post         Threaded Display
  In Response to:
jjstarA113
  Responses to this Message:
AhN


Re: The Bad Guys scores are great, y'all just hate fun
sivakumark52
<Send E-Mail>
(abts-kk-dynamic-030.87.172.122.ai
rtelbroadband.in)
Profile Picture
Monday, August 4, 2025 (9:07 a.m.) 

> The first score from 2022 is an insane amount of jazzy, caper-y fun,
> although it arguably plays better in film order and with at least a few of
> the needle drops in place
> (https://chrono-score.blogspot.com/2023/01/bad-guys-2022.html). Now with
> The Bad Guys 2, I'll admit that for the first half of the album I
> was worried it was TOO much of a repeat of the first score, but by the end
> - especially when they get into outer space - it does expand in scope
> while maintaining the same themes and general sound, which is what any
> good sequel should do. Not exactly the glow-up that Across the
> Spider-Verse
was compared to Into the Spider-Verse, but still a
> great time. I'll also admit that I love it whenever the 'Dies Irae' is
> used in film music. big grin

> The film itself is, again, a lot of fun! Some are saying it's better than
> the first, and maybe in some ways it is, but for me it's been a pretty
> consistent plane of great cartoon filmmaking from 1 to 2.

Probably it is my post from earlier thread that has elicited this response and I understand that my thoughts were more pessimistic on the score than I wanted it to be. To be honest, I did enjoy a few moments in the score but I felt disengaged from time to time. And this is true for most of Pemberton's work, where my feeling stem from the belief that sum of the parts are good than the whole score.


Post Full Response
Edit Post         Threaded Display
  In Response to:
jjstarA113
  Responses to this Message:
AhN

  • Return to Top (Full Menu) ▲
  • © 1998-2025, Filmtracks Publications