‘Dog Man’ fizzles at box office but flourishes as worthy, creative extension of universe
“Rats! I unwittingly created the greatest cop ever!” Petey the Cat fortuitously botched the bomb set for Officer Knight and the faithful Greg the Dog, setting off the Dog Man universe. Sewing together the best of brainless and ludicrous Officer Knight with resourceful and agile Greg the Dog, in a Frankenstein-esque operation, “The World’s Greatest Cop” is born. Dog Man has to navigate by nose through the rambunctious Ohkay City alongside many unusual characters, while also coming to terms with the human-dog lifestyle. Peter Hastings, director of the film and voice of Dog Man, has hopes of expanding the universe tantamount to his success with Captain Underpants, but his latest effort may lack the legs to do so.
Fun-filled and action packed, Dog Man reintroduces the main villain Petey (Pete Davidson, The Suicide Squad), whose ultimate goal throughout is becoming the world’s most despicable cat, and Dog Man is the only one standing in his way. Petey has multiple gadgets and ridiculous robots at his disposal during his escapades, culminating in “2000” compliments with author Dav Pilkey’s goofy vocabulary. Pilkey’s storytelling flows, measuring up to some of his titles including Captain Underpants and Ricky Ricotta, with both grossing well over $100 million.
After multiple attempts and failures trying to foil Dog Man, Petey follows the trope and ends up in just one of Pilkey’s ingenious word plays: “Cat Jail.” Petey consistently escapes the jail covertly, begging the Mayor (Cheri Oteri, Grown Ups 2) and the Police Chief (Lil Rel Howery, Free Guy) to assign Dog Man the case. On the other side of Okhay City, Petey attempts to use his new cloning machine on himself in a nefarious ploy, but the machine incidentally clones him into an even more (literally) childish form. Petey’s new clone, Li’l Petey, offers his predecessor a paradigm shift for life, influencing the original toward forgiving his absent father. Li’l Petey’s character extends beyond just comic-relief, symbolizing modern concepts of honesty and integrity, radiating an urgency to stop dwelling on mistakes.
Pilkey’s life lessons throughout Dog Man serve as a beacon of decency, showcasing the intricacy Hastings has dedicated himself to, while also maintaining the content’s bubbly style. The director effectively lifts the text to the screen, essentially verbatim from the cartoony, free spirited comics. Highlighting the lovable books creates a sense of nostalgia for fans, raising fond memories of Captain Underpants. Hastings truly delves into characters, doing them justice whilst applying contemporary plights like inflation, commiseration, and overcoming failure. Despite Dog Man’s underwhelming success at the box office, generating just under production costs, it measures up to the original. Hastings and Pilkey are in a groove, collaborating for another amazing movie, as they masterfully construct complex experiences simply, despite ultimately falling short financially.
B+: Dog Man effectively radiates howls of fun, but can’t escape the risky realities of most cartoon-to-movie adaptations.
by Logan Auxier
Published on February 24th, 2024
Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue V