DC League of Super-Pets
Two dogs, a turtle, a squirrel and a fat pig join forces to save the ‘human’ superheroes of Metropolis and Gotham City.
The Mighty Menagerie
The vaults at DC Comics are indeed deep. Maybe not as deep as Marvel, but pretty fathomless. So, after the various incarnations of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, and the collaborative effort highlighted in Justice League and Zack Snyder's Justice League – not to mention the animated offcuts The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie – we now have another variation. But Warner Animation’s DC League of Super-Pets is a different animal. Think Justice League crossbred with The Secret Life of Pets and you’ll be in the right enclosure. Yep, we’re talking domestic critters with superpowers. Some animal behaviourists may argue that dogs come with their own superpowers (Superman’s dog, Krypto, is a Labrador, and the Bat-Hound is a Boxer), but this is the city of Metropolis and anything goes.
Unlike Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, this computer-animated spectacular is strong on humour, with much of the comic badinage provided by this generation’s Abbott & Costello, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. But whereas much of the duo’s comedy in Central Intelligence, the Jumanji films and the 2016 MTV Movie Awards (which they co-hosted), revolved around the disparity of their physical dimensions, here much of their clowning is verbal. Although, with a whole menagerie at the filmmakers’ disposal, there is a lot of vocal talent to draw on. The real star of the show is Kate McKinnon, who voices a grotesque guinea pig called Lulu, who instils much of her dialogue with deadpan comic-timing, making a line like, “I say this with love – you’re all losers,” genuinely funny. Or, better still: “What is this? Paw Patrol?”
The film is also deadly aware of its own silliness, so when the mandatory training montage kicks in, a character wearily concedes, “we’re gonna need a longer montage.” Likewise, when Superman (John Krasinski) chucks a squeaky Batman toy for Krypto to go fetch, the real Batman (Keanu Reeves) quips, “that better be a licenced toy or I will freak… out.” In addition, as events escalate out of control, news headlines spotted on TV screens and other media in the background gain a mounting degree of hysteria (“What’s Even Happening?!”) Yet for all the nudge-nudge-wink jokes, the film is largely more of what we’ve seen a zillion times before, with wholesale urban destruction and extreme evil served up for young appetites in amidst all the pratfalls. And by the umpteenth near escape and about-turn, a sense of overkill pervades the auditorium, until a dash of sentimentality is whipped up for a final consoling flourish. Dogs are mankind’s best friend and they love their owners unconditionally. It’s your guinea pig you need to be wary of.
Also known as Super Pets.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Voices of Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Marc Maron, Keanu Reeves, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz, Olivia Wilde, Jameela Jamil, Jemaine Clement, John Early, Daveed Diggs, Keith David, Alfred Molina, Lena Headey, Dan Fogler, Jared Stern.
Dir Jared Stern, Pro Patricia Hicks, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia and Jared Stern, Screenplay Jared Stern and John Whittington, Pro Des Kim Taylor, Ed David Egan and Jhoanne Reyes, Music Steve Jablonsky, Sound Bill R. Dean.
Warner Animation Group/DC Entertainment/Seven Bucks Productions/A Stern Talking To-Warner Bros.
105 mins. USA. 2022. UK and US Rel: 29 July 2022. Cert. PG.
