Director: Sam J. Levine and Jared Stern
Action, adventure, science fiction, fantasy, comedic, criminal, animated, family
Grade: PG
Time: 100 minutes
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars (out of 5)
Ben Schwartz, Dascha Polanco, Diego Luna, Dwayne Johnson, Jameela Jamil, John Krasinski, Kate McKinnon, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Hart, Marc Maron, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Middleditch, and Vanessa Bayer are among the cast members. Together, Superman and Krypto the Super-Dog fight crime in Metropolis. They are inseparable best friends. Both of them have superhuman skills. Ace the dog, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle, and Chip the squirrel are among the assortment of shelter animals that Krypto must convince to use their own recently discovered abilities to aid in the rescue of the Super Heroes when Superman and the other Justice League members are taken, hostage.
His pet Krypto has sworn to look after Kal-El ever since he departed the dead world of Krypton. Years later, Superman (John Krasinski) and Krypto (Dwayne Johnson) are still close friends and the city of Metropolis’ super crime-fighting duo.
Although Krypto believes that life with Superman will always be idyllic and cosy, filled with “walk o clocks” and watching bake-off competitions on television, the fact that he plans to propose to Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde) heralds significant changes.
A dog named Ace (Kevin Hart) is trying to lift the spirits of the other rescued animals in an animal shelter across the city by telling them about a farm upstate where they can all run free. Ace lives with a pig named PB (played by Vanessa Bayer), a turtle named Merton (played by Natasha Lyonne), and a squirrel named Chip (Diego Luna).
Lulu (Kate McKinnon), a guinea pig that Krypto saved from the lab of Lex Luthor, Superman’s sworn adversary (Marc Maron), is also housed in the sanctuary. Instead of showing gratitude, Lulu intends to carry out Luthor’s goals for global hegemony because she sees herself as his partner.
Superman and Krypto easily overpower Luthor as he uses his tractor beam to reel in orange kryptonite, imprisoning him in Stryker’s Island—the super-max jail. Lulu is able to capture a tiny piece of orange kryptonite, which endows animals with superpowers. Consequently, the other animals in the sanctuary also get superpowers in addition to Lulu.
Ace can become extremely powerful, Merton can move extremely quickly (tee hee), PG has the ability to control body size, and Chip possesses electro-kinesis. Lulu captures Superman and the rest of the Justice League as part of her scheme to rule the entire planet. It is up to PB, Ace, Merton, and Chip to liberate the Justice League, beat Lulu, send Luthor back to jail, and save the world after Krypto loses his superpowers as a result of swallowing a piece of Kryptonite (“It is always in the cheese!”).
The Justice League helps the league of remarkable dogs find permanent homes while doing it all in great style, wit, and affection. The animation is striking, the animation is art deco influenced, the action is intense, and the gags are razor-sharp.
The voice acting is excellent as well, with Keanu Reeves having a blast portraying the brooding Batman. He growls, “That better be a licensed toy, or I would panic out,” when he sees a Batman squeezy toy. Additionally, Krypto wishes his father’s hologram had a “skip intro” button. By the way, Dog-El is Krypto’s father! And it was hilarious to see the hairy corgi waiting outside the shelter.