A high school acquaintance of mine has a 103-year-old relative, and Dwayne Johnson calls her relative every year on her birthday.
Why? Because at over 100 she is Dwayne Johnson’s biggest fan.
I wish I bet could bet on things like “The dorky guy who premiered at Survivor Series ‘96 will be a box office star in multiple franchises” but Dwayne Johnson did it. With DC League of Super Pets, Dwayne Johnson uses his charisma in a movie that meets the standard of animated films. That standard being humor for both kids and adults, with plenty of references that super fans will understand.
Krypto leads a life that all dogs want; Superman’s best friend. Saving the world side by side.
However, Krypto finds that he now has to share Superman with Lois Lane.
Meanwhile, Lex Luthor, has a plan to gain superpowers and defeat Superman once and for all. The plan does not quite work, with animals having gained superpowers. Lex Luthor’s guinea pig, Lulu, captures the Justice League and depowers Krypto.
Alone and powerless, Krypto gathers a new League. Can Krypto trust and train his new friends in time to save the Justice League?
DC League Of Super Pets offers an all-star voice cast.
Kevin Hart once again teams up with Dwayne Johnson. I get that in some circles it may not be cool to like Kevin Hart, but his work with Dwayne Johnson always sparks. They really are two old pros that bring out the best in each other.
Marc Maron as Lex Luthor feels like a bit of a mismatch. His Lex Luthor sounds more like Intergang’s Bruno Mannheim. There is one joke referencing Marc Maron’s famous podcast that makes it all worth it.
There are several moments that sold me on this movie.
The opening origin story evoked Richard Donner’s Superman, with hints of the famous John Williams score. Look, as a guy whose first theatrical experience was Superman: The Movie, I’m a sucker for that. I’m not going to lie. You could make the world’s worst Superman movie, but I’ll grade it on a curve if you drop some John WIlliams in there.
Extras include several short featurettes and visually uncompleted deleted scenes.
Suffice to say this is not the world’s worst Super movie. It’s funny, with a surprising amount of charm. The movie feels a little long in the middle. It veers away from what works (the cast having fun, the Pets being super) to explaining and pushing a villain that doesn’t quite work.
But by the end, you’re wrapped up in the more important things. Like, will Batman and Ace drop their guard and become friends? Will Krypto learn to work with others?
DC League of Super Pets is a treat for the whole family. Kids will laugh and love the characters. Adults will enjoy and be able to fall asleep or get up and leave their kids alone for a few minutes in the middle. And yes, stick around for the end credits, which serve as a teaser for a Super Pets sequel and reminds you that Dwayne Johnson will be in Black Adam.
It’s Dwayne Johnson’s world. We just live in it.
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Produced by Patricia Hicks, Dwayne Johnson,
Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Jared Stern
Written by Jared Stern, John Whittington
Based on Characters from DC Comics
Directed by Jared Stern
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski,
Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Thomas Middleditch,
Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves, Marc Maron, Olivia Wilde, Jameela Jamil,
Jemaine Clement, Daveed Diggs, Keith David, Yvette Nicole Brown,
Alfred Molina, Lena Headey, Busy Philipps, Dan Fogler
