DC League of Super-Pets

Unlike 2018's Teen Titans Go to the Movies, which mercilessly skewered every comic book convention under the sun, DC's League of Super-Pets is a much gentler creation, and will probably be a hit with kids up to a certain age.  Adults will find it watchable, but considering many of the people involved here also worked on The Lego Batman Movie, I was hoping for more of the satirical angle that film had in droves.  What it does have is a tremendously likable and energetic cast, and a positive message about adopting shelter pets. 

Dwayne Johnson brings his charm and a sense of innocence to his voice over performance as Krypto, the loyal dog and companion to Superman (voice by John Krasinski) who traveled with him in infancy to Earth when their planet exploded, shares all of his master's incredible powers, and has been by his side forever.  He even has his own secret identity, Bark Kent, when he tries to pose as a normal dog.  Lately, however, Superman has been giving more attention to intrepid reporter Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde), which leads the canine companion to fear that his place in his master's life is being diminished.  Krypto does not take this thought well (he buries his sorrows in ice cream while listening to Taylor Swift), only to soon discover that Superman, as well as the rest of the Justice League, have been captured in a sinister plot.

The culprit is revealed to be Lulu (Kate McKinnon), a hairless guinea pig who was once the test subject of super villain Lex Luthor (Marc Maron) and shares her former owner's dreams of global conquest.  Using a piece of orange Kryptonite that fell from the sky, Lulu is granted incredible powers, and uses them to escape from her cage at a shelter and create an evil army of fellow guinea pigs, and one adorable yet evil kitten.  Luckily, that same piece of Kryptonite also granted powers to the other pets who happened to be at the shelter that day, and they fight for the side of good, and wish to aid Krypto in his battle to save the Justice League.  This League of Super-Pets include a potbellied pig named PB (a charming Vanessa Bayer), who is quite the fangirl of superheroes and can grow or shrink herself, an elderly turtle named Merton (Natasha Lyonne), who can now run at incredible speeds, a squirrel with the gift of electricity named Chip (Diego Luna), and Ace the dog (Kevin Hart), who is now indestructible, and is often used as a shield.

While the movie is clearly aimed at the 10 and under set, DC's League of Super-Pets does throw in a couple lines that adults will chuckle at, many of them delivered by McKinnon as the power-mad guinea pig who gets a kick out of causing mass destruction.  I also wanted to see more of Batman (voiced wonderfully by Keanu Reeves), who gets some of the best lines in the film. ("Batman works alone...Except for Robin, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Batgirl, and whoever Morgan Freeman played...") It also has just a simple charm and innocence to it that appealed to me.  I know that if I were 30 years younger, this would probably be added to my regular rotation of viewing.  The movie is fast paced and action-heavy when it needs to be, but never too scary for young children, and it's overall message of people (even superheroes) needing pets as much as they need us is sure to resonate strongly.  

I simply wanted a bit more of a satirical edge, of which precious few moments are found, with my favorite being how Lulu defeats the superhero Cyborg. (She removes his batteries, and puts him on Airplane Mode.) I also found the film's main running gag involving Merton the Turtle questionable.  Her joke revolves around the fact that she is somewhat foul-mouthed, and for some reason, they try to get laughs by having her curse words bleeped out on the soundtrack.  It's unnecessary and a bit out of place, given the young audience it's speaking to, but at least it doesn't happen often, but it happens enough to strike me as odd.  Even if the jokes don't always land, the film has a sense of life to it, it's vibrantly drawn and animated, and the voice acting is first rate throughout.  

Even though I found enough to like about Minions: Rise of Gru to recommend it a few weeks ago, I do think that this is the better overall film for kids this summer.  It's sweeter and gentler without being cloying, and there's just a bit more here for adults to latch onto.  Plus, it teaches the youngest viewers the most important thing about superhero films - Always sit to the end of the closing credits.

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