DC League of Super-Pets (2022)
Ever since the rise of the superhero genre which has seen the comic book characters dominate the box office and modern zeitgeist, various companies have tried to find new ways to take advantage of the hype. While DC has struggled in building their own cinematic universe, they have now found a new way to try and get superhero fans to come to the theater, by having the superhero be pets! DC League of Super-Pets has the traditional Superman (John Krasinski) backstory leading him to join the Justice League in Metropolis, but adds to his story a faithful dog named Krypto the Super-Dog (Dwayne Johnson). Fighting crime and watching The Great British Bake Off together, Krypto and Superman are best friends but now that Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde) has entered the fold, Krypto is worried that his best friend will forget about him. His worries are only intensified as Superman and the rest of the Justice League get kidnapped by an evil superpowered rodent named Lulu (Kate McKinnon), leaving Krypto and a makeshift team of pets to find a way to save the day!
With an obvious target market of children, it comes as no surprise that the plot of DC League of Super-Pets lacks much of interest. The character arc of a pet dealing with the fear of losing its owner is nothing new even in terms of recent animation, and the actual superhero plot is beyond basic. From the first few minutes, audience members above the age of 10 will be able to predict every single emotional beat and twist the film has to offer, and the feature does little to nothing as far as defying these expectations. As a result, the film is largely boring and tedious as the audience waits for the film to drag through these emotions to get to the climax. Kids will more than likely be able to have a good time regardless, but accompanying adults will struggle to get through this one.
The one area where the film does try to appeal to more than just kids is in the comedy. While plenty of jokes fail to land, the film plays well with the traditional superhero formula and shows an encouraging self-awareness. Fans of DC will undoubtedly get a chuckle here and there, yet nothing feels that revolutionary or laugh-out-loud funny either. The performances are in a similar boat. While of course those like Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart give performances with plenty of charisma, they feel like the bare minimum of what these actors could do and overall end up failing to impress in any memorable sense.
The animation is similarly passable. While there are some strong uses of color, especially a memorable sunset across the city, the final product simply looks average. This type of animation has been seen before and with the quality consistently being put out by other companies, it is beginning to feel rather lackluster. From the realistic qualities of a studio like Disney to the style given by companies like Cartoon Saloon, this average 3D rendering fails to stand out and ultimately just feels dull.
While DC League of Super-Pets might not be a disaster, it is also hard to find much to appreciate in the film. The plot is boring, and the comedy feels average. Kids, especially those who are a fan of the DC heroes, will definitely be able to have a great time with this but adults are best to skip this one.
With an obvious target market of children, it comes as no surprise that the plot of DC League of Super-Pets lacks much of interest. The character arc of a pet dealing with the fear of losing its owner is nothing new even in terms of recent animation, and the actual superhero plot is beyond basic. From the first few minutes, audience members above the age of 10 will be able to predict every single emotional beat and twist the film has to offer, and the feature does little to nothing as far as defying these expectations. As a result, the film is largely boring and tedious as the audience waits for the film to drag through these emotions to get to the climax. Kids will more than likely be able to have a good time regardless, but accompanying adults will struggle to get through this one.
The one area where the film does try to appeal to more than just kids is in the comedy. While plenty of jokes fail to land, the film plays well with the traditional superhero formula and shows an encouraging self-awareness. Fans of DC will undoubtedly get a chuckle here and there, yet nothing feels that revolutionary or laugh-out-loud funny either. The performances are in a similar boat. While of course those like Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart give performances with plenty of charisma, they feel like the bare minimum of what these actors could do and overall end up failing to impress in any memorable sense.
The animation is similarly passable. While there are some strong uses of color, especially a memorable sunset across the city, the final product simply looks average. This type of animation has been seen before and with the quality consistently being put out by other companies, it is beginning to feel rather lackluster. From the realistic qualities of a studio like Disney to the style given by companies like Cartoon Saloon, this average 3D rendering fails to stand out and ultimately just feels dull.
While DC League of Super-Pets might not be a disaster, it is also hard to find much to appreciate in the film. The plot is boring, and the comedy feels average. Kids, especially those who are a fan of the DC heroes, will definitely be able to have a great time with this but adults are best to skip this one.