Alexandra Berardelli ‘25

Staff Writer

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) does not have what it takes anymore. After several attempts to set up a refreshed franchise, they always find themselves backed into the same old stories. Even with billions of dollars invested in their films, I often search for any serious intent behind these overdone stories. Well, I haven’t found it in a very long time. There have been more flops than successes, and it boils down to the DCEU misunderstanding a large part of what goes into the development of these stories and characters. 

Even though the DCEU consistently receives contempt concerning significant flaws, they persist in producing movies. This year, they have produced three films that manifest this franchise’s current strengths and weaknesses: “The Batman,” “Black Adam,” and “DC League of Super-Pets.” “The Batman” is widely popular and deemed one of the best movies last year, but it’s not even worth the hype. “Black Adam” was simply horrible. It showed just how poorly the films in this franchise could be done. Though, there is hope because “DC League of Super-Pets” was the best film out of the three and something to save the dying fate of the DCEU.

Briefly, “DC League of Super-Pets” is an animated film that brings the forces of cute animals and beloved DC Superheroes together on the screen. The pets, after coming in contact with orange kryptonite, obtain superpowers. They must save and possibly sacrifice a bit of themselves for the mighty Justice League. This film may come off as a “kiddy” film since it is an animated film with pets as its main characters. But it really speaks to the soul of anyone. Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here – anyone who says they watch superhero movies should not complain, because it’s all the same thing. Do you remember how good “The Lego Batman Movie” was?

This film has a stacked cast, starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, Keanu Reeves, et al. But it also brings the same energy and excitement to the screen as most Superhero movies do with tons of action-packed scenes and emotional dialogue. While “Super-Pets” may not stand a chance against other live-action films, I give it credit for providing the DCEU with potential success in its future. This film actually targets a story with serious intent: it finally doesn’t stick to the original, overworked stories and builds off of them with emotion. In addition, there is some long overdue character development from the pets and classic superheroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. From my experience, we never get genuine character development that gets the audience feeling some way. When was the last time you cried after watching an animated film? (Me, after watching “Super-Pets.”) At least you won’t feel frustrated and bored when sitting through yet another Batman movie or cringe from pure disgust from “Black Adam.”

It may sound silly since it is a cartoon. It didn’t do as well at the box office as other movies. Still, give it a chance. This film has proven itself to be well-done, giving loyal supporters a glimpse of hope for an otherwise outdated franchise. Don’t hate until you’ve seen the incredible world of super-pets!

Featured image courtesy of IMDb