A film review by Craig J. Koban October 7, 2022

DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS

2022, PG, 106 mins.

Dwayne Johnson as Krypto the Superdog (voice)  /  Kevin Hart as Ace the Bat-Hound (voice)  /  John Krasinski as Clark Kent / Superman (voice)  /  Keanu Reeves as Bruce Wayne / Batman (voice)  /  Kate McKinnon as Lulu (voice)  /  Vanessa Bayer as PB (voice)  /  Natasha Lyonne as Merton (voice)  /  Diego Luna as Chip (voice)  /  Jameela Jamil as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman (voice)  /  Marc Maron as Lex Luthor (voice)  /  Dascha Polanco as Jessica Cruz / Green Lantern (voice)  /  Olivia Wilde as Lois Lane (voice)  /  Jemaine Clement as Arthur Curry / Aquaman (voice)  /  Daveed Diggs as Victor Stone / Cyborg (voice)  /  John Early as Barry Allen / The Flash (voice)  /  David Pressman as Corgi (voice)

I've always enjoyed tantalizing what if scenarios in super hero comics.   

Like, for example, what if Superman's pet dog from Krypton actually accompanied him on his spacecraft as it blasted free from the doomed planet and grew up with him on his new home on Earth?  What would having a canine with all of the powers of the Man of Steel be like...for the Man of Steel?   

The new computer animated film DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS dives head first into this more bizarre, but oddly charming subculture of comic books in the way that it shows the lifelong relationship between Kal-El and Krypto, the pooch from his birth planet (don't ask me why an alien planet would have dogs...but come to think of it...why would they have aliens that look exactly like humans and not have dogs...hmmmmmm).  And the film is not just about this super pet, but also his journey to band other animals from various walks of life to form a Justice League of animals to help save their human super heroes from the vile clutches of Lex Luthor...and one of his own evil pets!  This is a very equal opportunist film when it comes to the multiple species on display.  

Sure, this all sounds so bloody cockamamie, but part of the charm of DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS is that it fully embraces the limitless goofiness and absurdity of its storyline on top of being an effective homage and spoof of super hero conventions (thanks in no small part to the fact that it's from the same writing team of the endearingly snarky THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE).  Beyond that, directors Jared Stern and Sam Levine (with the former having previously wrote THE LEGO BATMAN and NINJAGO movies) shows a remarkable amount of appreciation and knowledge of DC's super hero canon, which helps to override some of the film's more glaring deficiencies (which I'll get to later). 

We're all fundamentally aware of the particulars of Superman's origin tale, and DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS honors those staple elements, but - as already mentioned - throws a curveball at audiences with the introduction of Krypto himself (voiced by Dwayne Johnson, soon to be appearing in the flesh as BLACK ADAM for the DCEU), who's shown very early in the story racing towards Kal-El's tiny spaceship before it seals off and makes its iconic journey across the cosmos to Earth (I appreciated some of the visual and musical homages to SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE here).  As the film flashforwards to the present we see the Last Son of Krypton (voiced by John Krasinski) doing his daily Superman thing to save the residents of Metropolis from whatever dangers are hurled their way, but he does so with his loyal Krypto by his side, who's still an adorable doggie, but can do everything his human owner can: Fly, X-ray and heat vision, invulnerability, incredible strength...you name it.  Like all dog owners - human or extraterrestrial - Superman loves his super dog, but he also loves Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde), which makes the very attached Krypto extremely jealous.  Supes wants to pop the question to his longtime girlfriend, which causes Krypto to go into panic mode. 

Concurrent to this is the mad scheme of the predictably scheming Luthor (Marc Maron), who's trying to snag a piece of orange kryptonite from space, but is not only thwarted by Superman and Krypto, but also by the various members of the Justice League, including (random order) Batman (Keanu Reeves, an inspired choice), Wonder Woman (Jameela Jamil), and The Flash (John Early).  Superman's arch nemesis has been soundly defeated, but Lulu the guinea pig (Kate McKinnon) manages to reel in a piece of that much sought after orange Kryptonite with her own tractor beam while being stuck in an animal shelter, which gives her the power of telekinesis.  But that's not all: all of the other animals there - from Ace the dog (Kevin Hart), PB the pig (Vanessa Bayer), Chip the squirrel (Diego Luna), and Merton the turtle (Natasha Lyonne) get zapped as well and are granted their own super powers, some of them being highly ironic (like, for example, how the slow-poke tortoise can now move as fast as The Flash).  Incredibly, Lulu manages to capture and imprison all members of the Justice League, which necessitates Krypto springing into action.  There's only one massive problem: He has lost all of his powers after eating a green kryptonite laced treat, which has forced him to hook up with the new super powered pets to help him free his human owner and his friends. 

DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS is a double dipping family picture in the way that (a) it'll appeal to comic book fans young and old and (b) it'll greatly appeal to animal lovers young and old as well.  The notion of a dog with Superman's powers (or other animals in the DC Universe having unique abilities) is certainly not entirely new and has been the source of comic book lore for decades (albeit, not as thoroughly explored much in movie form),  but the script here is fun and fancy free when it comes to exploring the world of Krypto and his super pal animal companions and what they specifically bring to the table.  It's amusing, for instance, to see the already rotund PB being granted the power of expanding her body size, or seeing the lethally slow Merton the turtle being granted lightning quick reflexes and speed.  Elements of DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS reminded me quite a bit of the plot of the first TOY STORY in the sense that these animals are feeling (or literally being) separated from their human owners and then have to come together as friends and allies to overcome obstacles large and small.  It should also be noted that the animals here speak fluent English to one another, but to human ears all they hear is barks and grunts on their end.  So, yes, when Krypto "talks" with The Rock's voice Superman only hears normal dog sounds.   

Superman's mythology has always been fixated on the love story between himself and Lois Lane, but DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS adds in a love triangle element with the very clingy (he is a dog, after all) Krypto, who thinks that Lois is just interfering with all of his cherished alone time with Superman.  The perpetual fear of being rendered as a third wheel in this relationship makes poor Krypto feel horribly sad and paranoid, leading to some hysterical moments (like one dreamlike sequence that has Krypto fantasizing about biting Lois and throwing her hundreds of miles away with one simple throw...only to stop his dream while realizing just how overkill it is).  I mean, you really do feel for this dog, especially when the film opens to a montage of him with Superman saving the world to Queen's "You're My Best Friend" blaring on the soundtrack (awwwww).  There are so many other clever gags thrown in as well, one of which has Krypto playing with a squeaky toy of Batman (Keanu Reeves' morose Dark Knight doesn't appreciate this).  Playing hide and fetch with Krypto also manages to be tricky, mostly because of his X-ray vision and how he can spot toys and treats being hidden behind his owner's back.  Krypto takes many spirited jabs at Superman's BFFs in the Justice League (they're "work friends at best"), but some of the very best jokes come at the expense of the human heroes, like (in the best laugh-out-loud moment in the film) when an imprisoned Aquaman (Jemaine Clement) goes crazy when fish food is tossed into his large water tank jail.  Nice. 

Every super hero is only as good as his/her super villain, and DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS has a nifty one in McKinnon's dastardly former lab rat turned super villain guinea pig Lulu, who only wants to do her human master in Lex Luthor proud (BTW, both of them share the same fate of baldness, making them odd soulmates).  While she's pining for Luthor, the newly powerless Krypto has to deal with feelings of inadequacy and relevance in Superman's world, which creates some conflict and tension with his new animal comrades in arms.  The voice cast is mostly serviceable here, which is one of DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS minor letdowns (with the exception of a very game and boisterous McKinnon and the deadpan verbal stoicism of Reeves' Batman, the rest of the voice cast gets the job done, but hardly in a manner that I would label of memorable).  There's also more than a derivative taste and feel to the picture on a creative level, and even though the film maximizes cuteness and one-liner zinger amusement well, it definitely seems that DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS is pilfering from the playbook of so many family oriented animated films before it.  Lastly, the directors do a good job with set-pieces and action and infusing this strange comic book take with commendably daft energy, but the animation itself on display - for a budget approaching $100 million - does not appear to have the painstaking artistic craft and attention to sumptuous detail of many other modern lavishly produced animated features.  This film doesn't look bad, per se, but it oftentimes looks a tad cheaply disposable, kind of like a direct-to-video affair. 

Still, I'm going to modestly recommend DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS, mostly because it's a fairly entertaining, reliably funny, and affectionately lightweight take on the DC Universe, which, over the years, has been accused of being far too glum for its own good (granted, this is a separate standalone entity, but you get what I mean).  It's refreshing, to say the least, that we have a comic book extravaganza - animated or not - that just wholeheartedly embraces its comic bookiness, and as a family friendly extension of the DC brand it essentially gets the job done and mostly fires on intended cylinders.  Anyone expecting a cutting edge CG animated feature film approaching Pixar quality will probably be setting themselves up for disappointment, but for those wanting a sly, silly, and affectionate take on iconic costume clad justice seekers and their furry friends, then DC LEAGUE OF THE SUPER-PETS will satisfyingly go down easily.