Where I Watched It: HBo MAX

Audio Description Provided By: Deluxe

Narrated By: KG Tang

Considering the fact that DC’s universe is best represented on the work they put on streaming services and even Arrowverse, it seemed rather sketchy that something about Krypto and some shelter pets fighting crime would work. Are we at a point where Krypto warrants a theatrical release? I mean, this is the same studio that bothered to shoot a Batgirl movie just to keep it locked away at Area 51. I always try to enter every single movie open minded, and this one exceeded my expectations.

I thought it might be like Teen Titans Go To The Movies, where it just wouldn’t work for me. But, fortunately, it’s a rather smart film, with some truly inspired and dream voice casting. Dwayne Johnson as Krypto does really anchor the film, and sure it felt like an obvious choice to pick Kevin Hart, but the true winners here are John Krasinski as Superman (I’d love to seee him in that role) and Keanu Reeves as Batman (another role I now need in my life). Reeves’s Batman could have easily just been another Batman interpretation. Mind you, this is the same year we already had Pattinson as Batman, as well as the fact that Batman appears in the Harley Quinn episode, and the Pennyworth series features his parents. It’s a very Bat-Year.

But Reeves is so pitch perfect as Batman, you wonder how it took this long to happen. The rest of the cast, which includes Natasha Lyonne (who gets bleeped when she tries to curse), is fine. Aquaman is always treated like an idiot, and that doesn’t change here.

The film works when it’s trying to be funny. When the jokes and the action combine, the movie keeps going at a solid pace. I’m getting tired of seeing hamsters/Guinea Pigs in the roles of villains, so hopefully this is the last entry. there’s also a weird scene with Hart’s Ace that feels like it’s a spoof of the When She Loved Me segment from Toy Story 2. It’s not fully played for laughs, which is the only reason I’d highlight that as being the weakest point. It had that vibe, but I don’t know if it was intentional, or if someone got away with a cheap knock off.

The movie is narrated by someone I’m unfamiliar with, but nonetheless KG Tang does a nice job with what is a family film. There is a fiar amount of dialogue taking up space, but the written script covers a lot of the fight sequences, and we get good descriptions of what the characters look like, and their powers.

This year has been a bit all over the place for me with Animated films. My favorite so far is likely ineligible, being Beavis and Butthead Do The universe. Of course, I’ve lamented in most of my reviews one way or another that the worst is also animated, Netflix’s Marmaduke. Based on what I see as eligible, I hope this one makes it into the final five. I don’t think it will, but I can hope. I’m sure there are others out there I haven’t seen yet.

This was a blast. Watch with the whole family.

Final Grade: A-