DOG MAN (2025)
MPAA: PG.
Release Date: 01/31/25 [Cinemas]
Genre: Action. Adventure. Comedy. Crime. Fantasy.
Studio: Universal Pictures.
"Dog Man, half dog and half man, he is sworn to protect and serve as he doggedly pursues the feline supervillain Petey the Cat."
OUR MOVIE REVIEW:
Does anyone else find it absolutely absurd that the first two films Universal Studios chose to release this year are about men that transform into canines? Now, despite similar titles and concepts, Wolf Man and Dog Man couldn’t be anymore different. The former is yet another remake of the iconic 1940s horror monster movie, directed by genre visionary Leigh Whannell. Meanwhile the latter is an animated adaptation of a popular children’s book series with a voice cast led by Pete Davidson. But what’s more surprising than the studio’s decision to release both projects in such close proximity to each other is that, even with Whannell and horror powerhouse Blumhouse at the wheel of the former, Dog Man is the superior film. In fact, it might just be the most fun at the movies this year so far.
Based on Dav Pilkey’s spin-off and story within a story in the Captain Underpants universe, the film follows a police officer and his pet dog who fight crime together. When a serious explosion leaves them both seriously injured and disfigured, however, they undergo a Lynchian surgery which sees the dog now operating his owner’s body. In honor of his owner, after the surgery, the newly created Dog Man decides to continue defending his city and fight crime.
Despite top billing, Pete Davidson is not Dog Man. Dog Man is actually a mostly silent character (except for howls and barks), with comedic timing comparable to Buster Keaton. Instead, Davidson plays his feline nemesis ironically named Petey. Having made a name for himself through his physical and abstract humor in most of his other projects (like Saturday Night Live), here he steals the show on the merit of his own voice. While he doesn’t exactly change his voice, he absolutely relishes the character’s over-the-top antics, and creates quite the colorful antagonist in the process.
Davidson is joined by the likes of Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher and Ricky Gervais, but the real star of the film is its accuracy to its source material. As previously mentioned, the story is supposed to be the product of the main characters in the Captain Underpants books, two young boys named George and Harold. And it’s every bit as immature, energetic and scatterbrained as any child’s imagination can be. For example, there’s literally a robot character named “80-HD.” With constant cutaway gags and nonsensical segues that would make Family Guy proud, the film is also so cheeky that it will make any parent who takes their kid to see this just as thoroughly entertained.
Truthfully, the film’s only con is that there are arguably too many side characters and that there are some arcs that are teased but that ultimately go nowhere. For example, early on, Dog Man’s chief reveals that he’s in love with another character. While it does come into play later on in the film, it’s a thread that serves no real purpose in the story. But for a movie about a half man/half dog hybrid, does logic even matter?
At the end of the day, Dog Man succeeds where many modern animated (and children’s) films fail. It’s not afraid of barking up the wrong tree, and commits to its silliness. The result is a jolt of vivid joy, and a howling good time.

OUR VERDICT:
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