REVIEW: Dog Man (2025)
Review By Liam Herschall — NewsTime News
DreamWorks’ Dog Man is a lively, inventive, and undeniably fun adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s beloved graphic novels. The animation bursts with exaggerated movement, the humor is gleefully silly, and the story captures the wonderfully absurd spirit of the books. Kids will love its slapstick energy, parents will appreciate its occasional winks of self-awareness, and even longtime fans of Pilkey’s work will likely walk away satisfied. However, what they may not realize—at least not immediately—is that beneath all the charming absurdity, this film is working overtime to make children love the police. And that, to me, is far more terrifying than any supervillain kitty could ever assemble.
The voice cast does an outstanding job of bringing these ridiculous characters to life. Dog Man himself is an earnest, lovable goof, embodying the boundless enthusiasm of a dog with the noble heart of… well, a police officer, apparently. The Chief is a perfect gruff-but-caring mentor, and even the villain Petey the Cat adds some unexpectedly touching emotional depth.. It’s all very fun—until you realize this fun is a thinly veiled recruitment campaign for believing cops are your friendly neighborhood pals. Every officer in this movie is kind, bumbling, and ultimately well-intentioned. The police station is a place of camaraderie and laughter. At no point does anyone fabricate evidence, over-police marginalized communities, or spend taxpayer money on military-grade vehicles to patrol a farmer’s market. It’s fantasy, pure and simple.
Visually, Dog Man is a sweet little treat. The animation embraces the scrappy, doodle-like quality of Pilkey’s books while elevating it to a cinematic level, with frantic energy that keeps the action moving. The set pieces are creative, the comedic timing is sharp, and the film balances heart and humor with remarkable ease. But that ease also extends to how effortlessly it reinforces the idea that cops are the “good guys” and criminals are just “bad.” Petey is the only antagonist given any depth, and even his redemption arc is framed as a personal choice rather than a reflection of systemic issues. Meanwhile, every other so-called criminal is a goofy caricature—thieves with sacks of money, mad scientists with evil plans, and, in one scene, an anthropomorphic fish trying to rob a pet store for some reason. The message is clear: crime isn’t about desperation, poverty, or a broken system—it’s just something bad people do because they’re bad. The film never questions why the police exist or whether they should. Instead, it just wants kids to giggle at Dog Man’s antics while absorbing the idea that cops are inherently good.
And listen, I tried to ignore it. I really did. I wanted to enjoy the ridiculous action sequences, the absurd gags, the sheer joy of watching a dog-headed man attempt to fight crime with the enthusiasm of a Labrador that just discovered tennis balls. But every time I started having fun, the movie would throw in another moment of copaganda—another scene of the Chief shaking his head with an “Oh, Dog Man, you lovable rascal!” instead of acknowledging that maybe police misconduct shouldn’t be framed as an adorable personality quirk. At one point, Dog Man gets distracted chasing his own tail in the middle of a high-speed pursuit, causing property damage and mass chaos, and the movie plays it off as a joke. I don’t know about you, but if my tax dollars were funding officers who respond to emergencies by getting distracted by their own limbs, I’d have some concerns.
In the end, Dog Man is a fantastic children’s film with a dangerous underlying message. It’s funny, charming, and beautifully made, but it also functions as a glossy commercial for unquestioning admiration of law enforcement. Will kids pick up on that? Maybe not consciously. But that’s exactly how propaganda works—by making you laugh, disarming you, and slipping ideas into your head before you even know they’re there. And that, ultimately, is my problem with this movie. Well, that and the fact that it expects me to believe a man with a dog’s head can be trusted with a firearm.
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