Three cheers for 'Dogman'!
Famous children stories writer Dav Pilkey gets another theaterical adaption of one of his works
"Dogman" is a silly, fun time at the theaters. The film follows a police officer and a dog who get caught in an explosion. They couldn't save the owner but they could save the dog by sewing his head onto the human owners body, thus creating Dogman!
Later, it's revealed that Petey, voiced by Pete Davidson, is the culprit for the explosion. He realizes that his plan failed and swears revenge against Dogman; let the chaos commence!
If you are familiar with Dav Pilkey's work, you know that he is known for inspiring children with mental and physical disabilities. He is also known for his prolific toilet humor and how quick the humor can run its course for some individuals.
I am a huge fan of his work, and that being said, this movie does a great job adapting the "Dogman" books as it manages to squeeze the stories into one movie -- very impressive. The movie flowed with grace and didn't ever feel like too much. It takes its time telling the story and still finishes under an hour and 30 minutes, which is a wild accomplishment.
Pete Davidson is two-for-two in voice performances. I'm not a fan of the actor, but his performances as both Mirage from "Transformers" and now Petey the Cat, have me liking him a bit more. I honestly think he should consider going into voice acting because he's really good at it.
Petey is a tragic-circumstance character, and seeing his backstory and understanding why he does what he does was truly impactful and a nice allegory for loneliness and found family.
Dogman himself has no voice; rather, he is a silent protagonist like Wall-E or Snoopy. The character of Dogman is actually a perfect mix of the two and makes for a fun protagonist to follow. I'm glad they decided not to give him a celebrity voice and gambled on the riskier option.
Rickey Gervies is also great as the movie's secret villain.
The animation is stunning in this film. It takes texture layers from claymation and models and incorporate these styles into the animation of the movie, giving it a very home-made feel. I love that there are text speech bubbles and references to some of Dav Pilkey's other media. I'd compare it to a movie like "TMNT: Mutant Mayhem," which had a very similar style.
I do have some negatives pertaining to some side characters. A lot of the human characters just felt like meaningless obstacles for Dogman to overcome or to point out that he's a dog/human hybrid, which was a bit annoying.
Overall the movie is a solid 7/10 for casual audiences, but as a fan of the franchise and Dav Pilkey, it's a 10/10. If your kids love these books, take them to see this wonderful movie that is sure to inspire them!
Carter Salley is Central Michigan Life's resident film reviewer and co-host of the popculture podcast "Raving Geeks." He is majoring in media arts.
