‘Dog Man’ Review: A Human-Dog Hybrid Fights Crime in an Exhausting Kiddie Cartoon

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The story “Dog Man” is multifaceted: it’s a heartfelt exploration of a man struggling between two distinct realms, a moving narrative about the ups and downs of friendship and parenthood, a gripping tale of political deceit. Yet, it’s also an absurdly entertaining, physical comedy with a kung fu-performing, part-canine, part-human police officer who uses his intellect to outsmart villains, ultimately changing their hearts through their own missteps.

Despite skillfully combining various elements and maintaining faithfulness to the original’s playful tone, director Peter Hastings (“Country Bears”) struggles with striking a balance between earnestness and absurdity in his animated adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s illustrated series. The film’s relentless adherence to the source material’s whimsical nature becomes exhausting as it crams an overabundance of antagonists, messages, and humor into a compact runtime. The deeper themes centered on therapeutic conflict resolution often lack harmony, resulting in an inconsistent overall tone.

Police Officer Knight, voiced by Hastings, and his loyal canine companion Greg, also voiced by Hastings, make an inept duo in their quest to apprehend the wicked Petey the Cat (Pete Davidson) permanently. In a series of chases, they’ve been led through the bustling streets of Ohkay City and across risky bridges in disrepair by this cunning villain. However, Officer Knight and Greg’s climactic moment as an unbeatable duo occurs when Petey detonates a bomb, sending them to the hospital. Initially puzzled, surgeons soon discover the only way to save the pair: attach Greg’s salvageable head onto Knight’s undamaged body, thereby creating the precinct’s “super cop,” Dog Man.

In his role as the outstanding employee at the precinct, Dog Man performs feats beyond human ability, apprehending and imprisoning Petey. However, his persistent adversary often manages to escape Cat Jail, causing frustration for the grumpy Chief (Lil Rel Howery) and the city’s harsh Mayor (Cheri Oteri). With Petey on the loose, Dog Man and journalist Sarah Hatoff (Isla Fisher) wait patiently for their foe to make his next move. In the meantime, Petey devises a new malicious scheme that inevitably backfires: he creates a clone of himself named Li’l Petey (Lucas Hopkins Calderon). Unfortunately for him, this offspring proves to be more trouble than he bargained for. Matters worsen when Petey accidentally revives the dead body of Flippy the fish (Ricky Gervais), who is programmed to destroy all heroes. When the cats find themselves in danger, they are compelled to seek Dog Man’s aid to prevent a catastrophic disaster.

Despite the whimsical absurdity being charmingly offbeat on paper, its implementation frequently falls short, coming across as boisterous, repetitive, and underdeveloped. The humor veers towards the tiresome, and the occasional sentimental moments fail to resonate genuinely, feeling forced rather than earned. The narrative is a swift succession of mischief, puns, and tender moments, creating an overwhelming cacophony of laughter and sentimentality.

Unfortunately, connecting with the characters and their predicaments proves elusive due to Hastings’ relentless pursuit of setting up the next joke or dramatic scene. While it is beneficial that the story moves at a brisk pace, these elements create a noisy onslaught for the audience.

The cartoon is generally appropriate for all ages, yet it occasionally struggles to harmoniously blend humor and emotion that appeals to children and adults concurrently. A battle between a colossal flatulent building and a colossal postman robot who gets embarrassed might be too immature for some adults, while deeper themes like parental regret, deadbeat dads, and abandonment could go unnoticed by young viewers. The main character’s development is largely overshadowed by the villain’s narrative progression. The internal struggle of Dog Man, trying to reconcile his old life as two distinct identities, gradually loses focus as the story unfolds. Additional plotlines, such as Chief’s crush on Sarah and the possibility of corruption charges against the Mayor, add intrigue, but they feel like echoes of earlier drafts as these aspects contribute little to the overall resolution.

There’s still plenty of enjoyment to be found in such an audacious image as this one. The Chief’s lengthy monologue about Flippy’s past is ridiculously funny, serving a dual purpose by showing how exposition can effectively fuel humor while also suggesting that backstories are inherently unnecessary and absurd. This scene also allows Howery to showcase his excellent comedic timing, hitting every word perfectly. Gervais is hilarious, going all-out with his character’s carefree, nonsensical antics. In the rare quieter moments, the story subtly conveys depth on the power of empathy, challenging the cycle of poor parenting, healing from childhood trauma, and transforming a difficult situation into something brighter. However, these thoughtful themes are often overshadowed by jokes and an unexpected conclusion.

Artists imbue the visuals with a charming and captivating touch. The texture of Dog Man’s velvety soft face and Petey’s familiar crayon-striped fur is tactilely appealing. They also incorporate hand-drawn details when text appears on screen. Exaggerated swirls are used in explosions, along with CGI smoke. Sensitive scenes, such as the one where a dejected Dog Man walks home from work during a pink sunset or when Petey and his offspring walk under the moonlight confronting their harsh reality, use a stunning color palette to emphasize the emotional depth. Furthermore, they skillfully enhance Davidson’s vocal performance by giving his character expressive facial expressions, particularly in the third act where his character’s redeeming qualities are highlighted.

Although one might not anticipate a child-oriented movie titled after an unusual character to carry profound depth commensurate with its zany elements, it seems disappointing that Hastings and their team attempted this without effectively tying together the film’s scattered messages. In contrast, even “Transformers: The Movie,” an animated tale revolving around sentient robots, managed to surprise audiences with a heartfelt story about friendships turning into rivalries. It is possible to achieve such depth.

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2025-01-29 20:21