DC League Of Super-Pets

Certificate: U

Voices of: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Keanu Reeves, Olivia Wilde

Release date: 2022

3 out of 5

3

After moving in increasingly dark directions with their live-action movies, DC shifts into child-friendly gear for this lively action comedy involving adorable pets who team up to battle a tiny but fearsome super villain. Wrangling a kids’ animated romp into the standard comic book hero formula creates problems with pace and tone, mainly because the stakes are so low here: there’s never a question of any characters getting injured along the way. But the cute critters will charm younger viewers, and there are plenty of smart throwaway jokes for the grown-ups.

The film opens by augmenting Superman’s origin story, as loyal puppy Krypto (voiced by Johnson) now accompanies infant Kal-El to Earth. Cut to the present, and Krypto is growing jealous because Superman (Krasinski) spends so much time with Lois Lane (Wilde). Meanwhile, an orange Kryptonite sliver supercharges a group of homeless pets with individual powers. One of these is the megalomaniacal guinea pig Lulu (McKinnon), who kidnaps the entire Justice League, including Superman and Batman (Reeves), as well as Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern and Cyborg.

Now it’s up to Krypto and his super-pet pals to save the world. But little Lulu is a powerful foe, and Krypto needs to learn to work with others to bring her down. While it’s fun to have Johnson reunited with Jumanji/Central Intelligence costar Hart (voicing now-indestructible bulldog Ace), it’s the hilarious McKinnon who steals the film as the riotously power-mad Lulu, who lost her hair during scientific experiments and recruits her own squad of mutant guinea pig sidekicks. Reeves is another standout as an exhausted, overthinking Batman.

Because the structure is so well-worn, the movie sometimes feels underpowered. Even the increasingly enormous action set-pieces have a predictable rhythm that undercuts any proper excitement. But the script is laced with terrific zingers, references to other movies and witty character details. Basically, viewers will be giggling too much to be bothered by the predictable plot, hugely sentimentalised flashbacks and pushy message about teamwork. And by the end, everyone will want a super-pet of their own.

Is DC League Of Super-Pets suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...

 

Being a superhero movie, there’s rather a lot of mass destruction and mayhem in the action scenes. But while plenty of people and pets are put into various kinds of peril, the villains are always more comical than menacing.

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