Dog Man (2025)

The hero of this movie is a cop with a dog’s head, and he is somehow the least strange thing in it. Dog Man comes straight out of Dav Pilkey’s kids’ comics and keeps their anything-goes energy. Petey, a smug orange cat villain, tries to clone himself a sidekick and gets Li’l Petey instead, a kitten way too sweet to do crimes. Dog Man takes the kid in, Petey gets jealous, and suddenly a cartoon about a canine cop is a story about a dad who picked up bad habits from his own dad. Then a telekinetic fish named Flippy comes back to life, and so do the buildings. The plot is pure noise, the pace never slows, and if you’re over ten a bunch of the jokes will bounce right off you. Still, it holds an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and an A CinemaScore. A 6.6 because the cat custody drama sneaks up on you. $78.53 says your kid starts drawing their own comic this week and casts you as the villain.

What works: Li’l Petey is a scene-stealer, and the story of Petey learning to be a better dad gives all the chaos a real heart.

What doesn’t: The plot is a frantic pileup of villains and gags, and a lot of the jokes are pitched strictly at young kids.

Who it’s for: Kids who devour the Dog Man books, and parents who want 89 minutes that won’t put them to sleep.