> 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.)
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