Surprise! Bet you didn’t think you’d hear from me again so soon. Of course, with my long, boring spiel in my last post about how I never get to watch movies anymore, I won’t bore you with it again. However, I did secretly get round to watching two movies, with this being the other one. But I will be honest here: this one is genuinely the last movie I’ve watch recently. Will I get round to a couple more this week? Maybe. But it’s also NFL draft weekend and you all know how much I love sports so… I can’t say for certain either way.
But, for now, let’s get to DC League of Super-Pets, the second most recent DC movie to grace our screens before Shazam: Fury of the Gods turned up. Obviously this one isn’t in the “DCEU” itself, and you know what? I’m glad. Because we all know how well their movies have fared lately…
Anyway, this one is pure family fun. DC turns its talent to animation – more specifically, to talking animals. Super-Pets focuses on the introduction of Superman’s beloved canine pal, Krypto (voiced by none other than Dwayne Johnson), and how he responds to his owner’s new relationship with Lois Lane and – more importantly – what he does when Clark Kent is kidnapped. When he realises he needs help to save him, Krypto recruits a down-and-out crew from the local animal shelter. After an accident, the group (which includes a mostly blind turtle and a self-conscious pig) develop their own super-powers, and begin to team up with Krypto despite their hesitance.
Listen, guys. I feel like everyone was just a little harsh on this one… because it’s actually really not bad at all?! There was so much negativity surrounding this movie, and no, it’s not brilliant, but it’s definitely a good time.
So it’s not Warner Animation’s best film, (that crown still belongs to The Lego Batman Movie) but let me tell you, it’s still full of fun and is absolutely watchable. Some of the sequences try a little too hard to force some heart into proceedings and that does feel a little manufactured at times, but the comedy and the storyline itself is so bizarre that it’s impossible not to enjoy.
For me performance-wise, it does seem like Dwayne Johnson took his voice performance a little too seriously in this one… or as seriously as you can take it when you’re voicing a talking dog. However, there are some brilliant casting decisions going on including funny man Kevin Hart and a talking Guinea pig voiced by Kate McKinnon. The five star choice though? Natasha Lyonne as a foul-mouthed, flirty terrapin with super speed. On paper, that doesn’t sound child-friendly at all, but she’s by far and away the scene stealer throughout. As always, really.
When all is said and done, the elephant in the room is: why on earth did DC feel like this was necessary? Rather embarrassingly though, Super-Pets ends up actually being the best DC movie in a long time. Yes, it’s a little long, but it’s got so much good humour packed into it and a stupidly entertaining plot that it doesn’t really matter all too much in the end.
Again, it does feel as though critics were a little harsh about this movie. So there’s not a lot of originality in terms of the visuals and it’s clearly a cash grab more than anything else, and yet I don’t care. It amused me greatly and I don’t regret watching it.
DC League of Super-Pets is currently available to stream on Sky Cinema and Now TV in the UK.
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Overall Enjoyability Rating: ½
The Quayside Review 