Dog Man - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Dog Man



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
With the glut of superhero and animated tentpole films coming out over the years, its refreshing to see a simpler and more child-friendly one come out. Penned by the same guy who wrote Captain Underpants, we get to finally adapt the spin-off series to the infamous Captain Underpants series, and the results are surprisingly fun. I was never the target audience for the long-running “Captain Underpants” books, but I do remember the feature animated film that came out about 6 or so years ago was quite the fun adventure. So I went into Dog Man with an open mind and some mild anticipation. While the film isn’t going to shock and awe, forcing me to give it a rave review above what I normally do, but needless to say, I came out with my expectations met. Dog Man is a fun little jaunt, with memorable characters and a charming script that will appeal to kids 12 and under, as well as plenty of little adult humor Easter eggs for the adults as well.

The film’s origin starts out with a bang (quite literally in fact) with the crime-fighting duo of Officer Knight (Peter Hastings) and his police K9 companion Greg trying to apprehend criminals, only to get caught in an explosion that threatens both their lives. With both officers on death’s door, the only thing that can save the duo is a cutting-edge surgery that will combine both their bodies and consciousnesses into one creature. Neither dog nor man, Greg and Officer Knight are reborn as Dog Man! A crime-fighting monster that would be the comic version of Robocop. With the strength and intuition of a dog, and the intelligence of a man, Dog Man is literally the perfect comp.

With the first 5 minutes of the film out of the way, we get right into the rest of the story with Dog Man in full swing. While addressing the post-operative events of his creation, Dog Man soon becomes the face of the police department. He’s seen as a hero by everyone but his Chief (Lil Rel Howery), but his personal life is in absolute shambles. He’s still trying to adapt to life as a new being, as well as having to get a new house to accommodate his new form. Not only that, his nemesis Petey the cat (Pete Davidson) is spreading mayhem and destruction all over the city, so it’s up to our intrepid crime fighter to take him down.

Petey’s big plan includes creating a clone of himself named “Little Petey”, who sadly doesn’t share the same compunction for evil and mayhem that his “father” has, resulting in the little clone being kicked out of his father’s lair. This leads to Dog Man and Little Petey forming a strange friendship, leading to a unique experience for Dog Man to take down his nemesis once and for all (well, at least temporarily).

Dreamworks is probably Disney/Pixar’s greatest rival at this point, having put out some mega blockbuster tent pole animated films over the years, with last year's The Wild Robot, or the How to Train Your Dragon series. And in my opinion, I feel like they have eclipsed the Mouse House and Pixar for storytelling as well. That being said, Dog Man is almost the complete opposite of that. It takes a simpler approach, with Dog Man playing to a more childlike audience without all of the massive animation budgets of their tent pole movies. The same can be said for the story as well. Since it’s based on the comic of the same name and in the same vein of humor as Captain Underpants, it’s much more silly and loosey goosey with the narrative. That’s not to say that it’s not a well-told story, but rather Dog Man caters to a more “silly fun” sort of audience over the mega blockbusters that it usually puts out. As such, I really started to enjoy the film as a deviation from the giant tent pole type of animated films that we’ve gotten used to recently, and simply had a good time with it. If you’re familiar with the tone and feel of Captain Underpants, then you’ll know exactly what I mean in how it feels.




Rating:

Rated PG for some action and rude humor.




Video:

While I’m sure that most of us would have loved to have gotten a 4K UHD release for the film, the Blu-ray is no slouch. Colors are nice and saturated, with rich shades of blue, orange, green, and reds, and fine details are quite impressive. The animation style is not super detailed, so don’t go expecting Pixar-level animation, but the image is more than capable. The numerous police-related scenes look amazing as Dog Man chases Petey around, and the outdoor shots look exceedingly sumptuous. Brush strokes are easily seen to the naked eye, and little bits of fur and nuances on the animal bodies sport the vast majority of the detail levels. But as I said, the animation style is not SUPER nuanced either. Black levels are good, and except for some VERY mild color banding in darker scenes, this is an amazing-looking picture that should please just about everyone.









Audio:

While not a Dolby Atmos track, Universal’s Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track (7.1 native tracks are becoming more and more rare these days now that Atmos has taken over) sounds quite amazing in my home theater. This track sets expectations right from the beginning chase scene that it means business, and doesn’t let go of the listener until the credits roll. The chase scenes utilize surround channels quite well, adding in a sense of immersion and intensity that wakes up those subwoofers and shakes the rafters. Surrounds get a ton of activity with said chase scenes (Dog Man chases Petey quite a bit throughout the film), and the subs are nothing to sneeze at. The Chief of Police yelling through a megaphone halfway through is sure to split a few eardrums, and Petey’s flying “mobile” has this deep guttural purr (pun intended) that vibrates straight into your pant legs. Dialog is crisp and clean like you would expect as well, making this 7.1 mix probably the best part of the entire package (beating out the excellent video by a slight margin).











Extras:

• FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH SCREENWRITER/DIRECTOR PETER HASTINGS
• DELETED AND EXTENDED SCENES WITH INTRODUCTIONS BY SCREENWRITER/DIRECTOR PETER HASTINGS
-- Sewer Ball Chase
-- Petey Robs Bank of Jim
-- Li'l Petey Adoption People
-- Petey Puppet Time
-- Dog Man Chopper Hang Glider
-- Revenge of the Bank of Jim
-- Butler Business
-- Flippy in Jail Epilogue
• MEET THE PACK: Go behind the scenes of the DOG MAN recording sessions as we meet the actors who brought the characters to life and watch them perform some of their silliest lines!
• THE MAKING OF DOG MAN: A SARAH HATOFF EXCLUSIVE: Ace reporter Sarah Hatoff delivers a special report on the making of DOG MAN! Learn about the story, characters, and comic book animation behind Dog Man's big screen debut!
• HOWL TO DRAW FLIP-O-RAMA STYLE: Join head of story Anthony Zierhut as he teaches how to draw Dog Man, Petey, and Li'l Petey, then learn how to transform your drawings into a Flip-O-Rama!
-- Dog Man
-- Petey
-- Li'l Petey
-- Flip-O-Rama
• HOWL TO MAKE DOUGHNUTS FOR DOGS: Police officers and dogs both love one thing…doughnuts! We'll show you how to make your own Fido-friendly doughnuts for your canine best friend.

Final Score:

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As I said above, I have never read any of the comics that Dog Man is based on, but it’s not hard to see why the film did quite well at the box office. The film’s deft wit, sharp humor, and unique animation make it stand out from the pack, and the fact that it didn’t try to be some super duper mega blockbuster animated film allowed it to fill in that “12 years and younger” niche amazingly well. While I’m sure we would have loved to have seen a 4K UHD release for the film, the Blu-ray looks and sounds amazing, with a healthy array of extras (for once!) to boot. Solid thumbs up.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Pete Davidson, Poppy Liu, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Billy Boyd, Peter Hastings
Directed by: Peter Hastings
Written by: Peter Hastings, Dav Pilkey
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DVS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG
Runtime: 90 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: April 1st, 2025

Recommendation: Low Rental