Movie Review: ‘Dog Man’

by | Jan 29, 2025 | Featured Post, Movie Reviews, Movies | 0 comments


Dog Man is a cute, silly, humorous family friendly film that does not take anything too seriously. It is a fun story that is woven through the nearly 90-minute runtime, much of which is complimented with jokes or visual gags while largely ignoring logic. The animation is colorful and visually appealing. There are some heartwarming moments, as well, but nothing that will bring anybody to tears (unlike DreamWorks’ last animated film, The Wild Robot).

When the movie opens, Dog and Man are two separate beings: Officer Knight and his pet dog, Greg (or, if you prefer, a dog named Greg and his pet human, Officer Knight). A comically tragic mistake injures both of them and the nurses treating them decide to attach Greg’s head to Officer Knight’s body, creating Dog Man. Dog Man quickly becomes one of the best officers on the force repeatedly capturing an evil cat, Petey, that is intent on his destruction. But, Dog Man gets push back from a stereotypical police chief that is often yelling and a mayor whose attitude toward Dog Man fluctuates depending on the situation. There are fun twists that may not be too surprising, but the movie does not shy away from shining a bright light on, or multiple arrows pointing to, the upcoming twists, some of which twists elevate the movie to Power Rangers-level action.

I was not too sure about this movie when I went in to see it. Dog Man is apparently a spin-off of Captain Underpants, which I barely remember even though I know I saw the movie, and it is clearly aimed more toward children. But, overall, I did have fun and would likely watch it again if somebody else wanted to watch it with me. I suspect people of all ages will find something to like so long as they follow the film’s lead and do not take it too seriously; just enjoy the ride and don’t question things like why a cat and fish can talk (the latter of which is a family-friendly Ricky Gervais), but a dog cannot. While I enjoyed the movie and would mildly recommend it (more so for younger people and/or people with an open/active imagination), I suspect Dog Man will stick with me about as well as Captain Underpants (or countless other movies that I have reviewed, somewhat enjoyed, and subsequently forgotten).

Bradley Smith
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