‘Dog Man’ Review: A Human-Dog Hybrid Fights Crime in an Exhausting Kiddie Cartoon

variety.com:

Courtney Howard “Dog Man” is many things: a poignant tale about a man caught in the push-pull of two disparate worlds, a sentimental story about the fluctuating facets of friendship and fatherhood, an intense thriller about political corruption.

It’s also a flat-out bonkers, slapstick action-comedy about a kung fu-kicking, human-dog hybrid cop who uses wisdom to outsmart and change the hearts of bad guys hoisted by their own petard.

Yet blending all of these aspects together, as well as tackling the sincerity with a hefty dose of outlandishness, proves unwieldy for writer-director Peter Hastings (“Country Bears”).

His animated adaptation of author Dav Pilkey’s illustrated series aligns with the source material’s silly spirit to a slavishly fatiguing degree as it jams too many villains, themes and gags into a brief run time.