ALSO SHOWING
FIRST there were superheroes. Then there were animated superheroes. Now there are animated animal superheroes.
No punch of Batman’s, no swipe by Catwoman, is half as powerful as the impulse to make money out of us, and in the case of DC League Of Super-Pets (★★★II, PG, 106 mins), it’s as dispiriting as it is predictable to read about the new range of merchandise (including pet accessories and furniture) being rushed out in a tie-up with Fisher-Price.
As for the film, the voice cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, and Kate
McKinnon, and it’s moderate fun, even if the actual animation is pretty uninspiring compared with what Pixar are doing.
Basically, Superman’s devoted hound Krypto (Johnson), while lamenting his owner’s disloyal new attachment to reporter Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde), reaffirms his doggie worth by tackling the dastardly plans of an evil guinea pig (McKinnon) bent on world domination.
The script by director Jared Stern and John Whittington (the team behind 2017’s The Lego Batman Movie . . . oh yes, I forgot plastic-brick superheroes), overflows with daft puns and jokes aimed squarely at grown-up chaperones and it all yaps along watchably enough.
The best release of the week by far is an Iranian-language film, Hit The Road (★★★★I, 12A, 93 mins), a remarkably accomplished debut for writer-director
Panah Panahi about a family driving urgently through Iran towards the Turkish border because one of them needs to flee the country for, we presume, political reasons. Really, those reasons don’t matter. This is a film celebrating the universality of family dynamics — profound love, and endless squabbling — while also lamenting the way in which families can be broken apart.
Despite a strong undercurrent of sadness, it’s an absolute charmer. I was hooked from the opening scene, in which the irresistibly cute but unstoppably naughty little boy mischievously hides his father’s mobile phone down his pants. In fact, the whole picture is worth watching for his performance alone.