Dog Man
Universal Pictures | Release Date: January 31, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
5
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
RogerEbert.comNell MinowJan 30, 2025
Dog Man, based on Dav Pilkey’s popular series of graphic novels for kids, is sublimely silly, a mixture of comedy, action, and heart, all done with such high spirits it seems effortless. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeFeb 10, 2025
Dog Man, the half-dog, half-cop protagonist of Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants spin-off book series, is a gloriously funny creation. Read full review
80
The TimesEd PottonFeb 7, 2025
The writer-director Peter Hastings preserves Pilkey’s key ingredients: lavatorial sniggers, winking details, a kid-made aesthetic. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinFeb 7, 2025
The premise sounds morbid but the execution couldn’t be sunnier: think Snoopy does RoboCop. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckJan 29, 2025
The animation, too, is consistently delightful, densely crammed with visual gags and imaginative flourishes. Read full review
75
Washington PostChris KlimekJan 30, 2025
Screenwriter-director Peter Hastings — who also voices Dog Man’s barks, woofs, howls and assorted canine musings — has shoehorned a streaming season’s worth of plot into this sub-90-minute enterprise, and its caffeinated tempo makes “Moana 2” feel like a Terrence Malick joint. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesKatie WalshJan 29, 2025
The lessons of compassion and empathy are profound, and remind us that tales of good triumphing over evil are evergreen, even when it doesn’t seem to be reflected in the world around us. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubAndy CrumpJan 29, 2025
Dog Man is a sugar rush. Read full review
70
Little White LiesCallie PetchFeb 5, 2025
Dav Pilkey’s beloved children’s graphic novel series was adapted about as faithfully as possible, fully capturing the puerile (literal toilet humour) and subversive (critiques against the education system’s expressionless rigidity education system) spirit of Pilkey’s work in a consistently hysterical and dynamically-animated treat of a film. Read full review
70
ColliderNate RichardJan 31, 2025
It's a silly movie, make no mistake, but it's an endearingly one nonetheless. Read full review
70
TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanJan 31, 2025
The kids will love it. And actually, you might, too. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalZachary BarnesJan 30, 2025
The heart of the film is the emotional triangle of Petey, Li’l Petey and Dog Man, as the two erstwhile enemies both find something like love for the kitten (voiced by Lucas Hopkins Calderon and full of disarming innocence) and something like forgiveness for each other. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerJan 29, 2025
Most of the movie is colorfully antic; another fearsome villain is a dead fish voiced by Ricky Gervais (too easy), and at one point a bunch of buildings come to life and rampage like meta-kaiju. There is, however, surprisingly psychological depth afforded to Petey’s clone, Li’l Petey (Lucas Hopkins). Read full review
70
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJan 29, 2025
In this screen adaptation, written and directed by Peter Hastings, jokes fly with the bouncy randomness of Dog Man’s favorite tennis ball, and there are so many that a fair number of them would land even if they weren’t pretty good. Read full review
64
The Film VerdictAlonso DuraldeJan 30, 2025
He makes his way to the big screen with silliness (and a love of tennis balls) intact, but Dog Man deserves a frenetic pace to match its barrage of absurd jokes and plot twists. Read full review
63
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenJan 30, 2025
The movie has a self-aware streak that isn’t too self-impressed, as well as an amusing flair for the absurd. Read full review
60
EmpireHelen O'HaraFeb 19, 2025
It's all very, very silly. That, combined with the relentless pace, should ensure that it delights its target audience of under-tens, but the adults shouldn’t fear this dog’s bark too much. Read full review
60
The GuardianCath ClarkeFeb 5, 2025
Dog Man is packed with goofy gags that whizz past, with no let up from the hectic pace. Read full review
50
The Associated PressMark KennedyJan 29, 2025
Peter Hastings, director, screenwriter and animal voice of Dog Man, has had a hand in Pilkey’s much better adaption of “Captain Underpants,” but this time smashes together characters and plot lines from several of the books in a way that is hard to follow even for fans. Read full review
50
VarietyCourtney HowardJan 29, 2025
It jams too many villains, themes and gags into a brief run time. Many of its bigger ideas focused on therapeutic conflict resolution fail to coalesce, leading to an overall tonal imbalance. Read full review
50
Screen RantMary KasselJan 29, 2025
Dog Man is trying to tackle too many themes and morals at once, creating a mess instead of a cohesive and accessible lesson. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonJan 29, 2025
The big surprise is that none of these talented voice actors bring anything new or interesting to their one-dimensional roles. Read full review
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