Review: Dog Man is a very good boy, and a pretty good movie

DreamWorks returns to the Captain Underpants universe with Dog Man, a fun, breezy spin-off that doesn't waste viewers' time. Within the first few minutes, the film's goofy premise is set in motion. A cop and his dog partner are involved in an accident while pursuing the world's evilest cat, Petey (Pete Davidson), which leads to a wild swing of a medical procedure to save their lives (life?): the dog's head is sewn into the officer's body, creating super cop Dog Man. It's a best-case scenario, we're told, since the dog had the brains without the body to take full advantage of it, while the cop wasn't the brightest but had opposable thumbs.

Which means, for Petey, it's a nightmare. He and Dog Man enter into a Batman/Joker style cycle of catch-and-escape. Petey creates elaborate contraptions to battle Dog Man. Dog Man outsmarts and arrests him. Petey escapes from prison. Rinse and repeat. 

The wrinkle comes when Petey devises a plan to clone himself (the plan: buy a cloning machine online). The machine works, but with a catch. The clone comes out as a little kid, appropriately named Little Petey. Petey isn't particularly interested in being a dad, which sets into motion some of the film's larger thematic concerns, most revolving around family: familial trauma, found family, finding the good in the world and the people around you. Petey's self-centered coldness and Dog Man's free-flowing kindness are at direct odds, with Little Petey's easy-going innocence caught right in the middle.

There's more going on under the hood than you might expect from the silly Frankenstein-y premise, and it's all delivered with sweetness and humor. The plot, however, feels like a bit of an afterthought, a lot of threads that don't necessarily add up the much. There's a second villain who takes a while to get going, a subplot involved Petey's absent father, a few fun supporting characters who shine (I really enjoyed the police chief and the intrepid news reporter, who have a will-they-won't-they romance thing going on). The movie is always enjoyable, but sometimes feels like it's spinning its wheels a bit. 

I was also a bit frustrated that this ultimately feels more like a movie about Petey than Dog Man. Petey is a strong character, and Davidson's performance is good, but I wanted more Dog Man. He's so cute! He's such a good boy! He's the hero we all want, even if we don't deserve him! Sadly, the eponymous hero takes a backseat as the film goes on, playing second fiddle to his nemesis. 

It at least helps that the movie looks great -- very colorful and bright, with fun movement and some dynamic action. The characters almost have a clay-mation quality to their movement and design, which really shines when certain large-scale objects come to life in the final act. It's a pleasure to take in. 

While Dog Man doesn't reach the heights of some of DreamWorks' recent output like The Wild Robot or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, it's a solid romp that anyone can enjoy, and I would be glad to see him back on the big screen for more adventures.