The animated family comedy “DC League of Superpets” begins with the premise that “yes, why not.” Superman has a Labrador retriever named Krypto the Superdog, spoken to by Dwayne Johnson, who fights crime. It has a special power. The film combines the conventions of comic book blockbusters with the metaphor of talking animal flicks, making it a sort of encounter between “Justice League” and “Shrek.” Director Jared Stern was the writer of “The Lego Batman The Movie” (2017). Like the movie, it spends a lot of time gently ridiculing the source material of the superhero. When Lulu (the voice of Kate McKinnon), the evil guinea pig and the giant villain of the story, catches Clark Kent (John Krasinski), she ridicules the unsightly disguise of his alter ego.
The movie seems to be aimed at toddlers who worship superheroes and love animals. It’s most successful just by spinning its lead, a fellow dog named Crypto and Ace (Kevin Hart), on the basic Bow Wow stuff — an early scene that includes a flying fetch game across cities. like. Even more confusing is the film’s constant efforts to soothe the adult audience. What are kids supposed to do with the reference to “British Bake Off” in the classic gag? And what do they probably find interesting about the extended, humble nod to the “Warriors” (1979)? The brand’s arched baseball riff is a modern family movie tragedy that appears in almost every animated movie of the All-Star cast. But it is a grating specifically provided by Johnson and Hart. Johnson and Hart offer two of the least inspirational voice performances of recent memory, despite the vocal talents they have shown in the past.
Super Pet DC League
Rated PG. Execution time: 1 hour and 46 minutes. In the theater.
