Film review: DC League of Super-Pets entertains with in-jokes for older fans

A laboratory guinea pig bent on world domination provides most of the humour along with some very effective running jokes

Natasha Lyonne, Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Diego Luna, and Vanessa Bayer feature in this entertaining animated adventure. 

★★★★☆

If the only thing you’ve been missing from the recent glut of superhero movies is a few furry friends, then fret no more: DC League of Super-Pets (PG) introduces Krypto the Super-Dog (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), who is Superman’s (John Krasinski) canine pal.

When Superman is nobbled by his old foe Lex Luthor (Marc Maron), who imports a whole new kind of kryptonite and then unleashes a small army of mutant guinea pigs led by Lulu (Kate McKinnon), the faithful Krypto comes bounding to the rescue, aided and abetted by a menagerie that includes Ace the Bat-Hound (Kevin Hart), PB the Wonder Pig (Vanessa Bayer) and Merton the Tortoise (Natasha Lyonne).

A laboratory guinea pig bent on world domination provides most of the humour here, although there’s also a very effective running joke in which the supposedly exalted superheroes are seen through the eyes of their unimpressed animal counterparts (“If really you want the truth,” says Lulu, enmeshed in Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth, “the boots are a bit much”). 

Aimed squarely at a younger demographic that will likely adore the crossover between superheroes and super-cute pets, this also offers plenty of in-jokes to entertain older fans of the caped avenger genre. 

(Cinema release)