Dog Man, half dog and half man, he is sworn to protect and serve as he doggedly pursues the feline supervillain Petey the Cat. (from IMDB)

In 2016, the world was introduced to a quirky new hero, simply named: Dog Man. Half man, half dog - due to an accident on the job as a police officer - Dog Man is a crimefighting dynamo who has scratched and clawed his way into the hearts of youngsters everywhere. His arch nemesis is Petey the Cat, a supervillain inventor who wants to rid the world of Dog Man. So, can DreamWorks Animation deliver a feature animated film worthy to don the collar?

Well, as one might assume from the effort of combining several graphic novels into one feature film, the movie version of Dog Man is a little hit and miss. My young teenage son has been a fan of the books for several years, so he was pretty jazzed about this movie coming out (and he's not one who often enthusiastically anticipates new movies). So when he left the theater feeling thoroughly disappointed, that kind of said something in and of itself.

As one might suspect, Dog Man feels like a collection of ideas and vignettes that fail to coalesce into a cohesive feature. I'm pretty easygoing with movie-watching (just give me a bucket of quality popcorn and I'll be pretty content), but I found myself getting a bit restless at times. I kept wondering where the movie's plot was. Sure, there are stretches of the movie that seem to have a plot, but overall, it feels like a feature-length trailer for an animated series, simply touching on ideas and stories that will eventually get fleshed out in future episodes. A great example of this is when we're shown a dead fish named Flippy, and instead of his backstory being part of the film's actual plot, its history is dumped on us in a fast-paced bit of exposition that felt out of place (show, don't tell, right?), when showing it would have fit the movie better.

Dog Man opens with Officer Knight and his dog Greg on the job, before a poor decision leaves the two of them injured and close to death. The only way to save them? Put the dog's head on the man's body. And from that moment on, we have Dog Man. He doesn't speak since he's primarily a dog now, but he has become the police force's star officer, with his feisty boss Chief being who he answers to, and beloved reporter Sarah Hatoff following the titular character's adventures. Comedian Pete Davidson provides the voice for Petey the Cat, and the movie is really kind of Petey's show. He's given the most character development and screentime. I suppose, since Dog Man can't really talk, they need to give the audience a character of some kind to really connect with. As such, Petey certainly works, and he also arguably is responsible for the most laughs in the film.

One thing Dog Man does right is nailing its style. I've seen some of the illustrations in the books that my son has and this movie really gets it right. Furthermore, seeing it on a big screen is even somewhat immersive. There are a few shots that put us eye-level on the streets of Ohkay City that briefly make you feel kind of like you're right there. The animation is also slightly jerky as if it's almost stop-motion animation, and action words are often thrown across the screen, further giving it its own unique style. The visuals of Dog Man are by far the best thing about it.

The content is pretty kid friendly, but there is one use of "sucks" and a joke about it being questionable language to use. The most surprising choice of words, however, is when an adorable kitten named Little Petey offers an innocent spin on that iconic line from Die Hard, speaking to a villianous fish named Flippy, "Flippy Ki Yay, Flippy Flipper." Anyone who doesn't know what the original line says won't think twice, but it's such an iconically vulgar quote that to hear a little kid's voice utter even a clean take on it might feel a hair too spicy. Other than an incomplete "What the--" (which is pretty common in animated cartoons and movies), there really isn't much objectionable content. Some of the jokes are mildly crass, like a robot's pants falling down when it is hit (nothing explicit is shown) and some characters climbing out of a robot through its "butt crack." When a building comes to life, we see a pipe under it emit gas like a fart. Again, it's pretty mild stuff. Some viewers could potentially be sensitive to the very concept of Dog Man - how his life is saved by putting a dog's head on a man's body. And, also, his personal life unravels once he's turned from human to dog, as we find his girlfriend leaves him because of this (rendering him sad and lonely).

While the movie feels aimless at times, and strangely long for only 90 minutes, it's certainly not an awful movie. However, whether or not it works as a feature is certainly debatable. If you're a fan of the books, there's a chance you'll enjoy this attempt at a feature movie, but if you're a bit pickier about your entertainment (and you prefer your movies to have decent stories), you'd do well to look elsewhere than Dog Man (I recommend The Wild Robot instead).

To give a little update on the movie after a second viewing: We were given a digital copy and an opportunity to talk to director Peter Hastings for an interview just a couple weeks after the movie hit theaters. My wife, Amy, missed seeing the movie in theaters, so I watched it again with her prior to talking to Hastings. I was really surprised at how much better the movie played out the second time. First of all, any expectations were gone, and I was able to go into seeing it with a fresh perspective. For some reason, the movie just landed a lot better that second time through. (Maybe a couch viewing from my own home was a bonus?) Is it the best animated film? Of course not, but I definitely appreciated it way more the second go around, and I decided to bump up the star rating on the review accordingly.

(Side note: There is no post-credits scene if you're wondering; it's safe to exit the theater during the credits.)