Dir: Jared Stern, Sam Levine. Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves. PG, 105 minutes.
A tissue-paper-thin barrier exists between heartfelt tribute and pure product placement. The smartest of today’s blockbusters have convinced audiences that a hardened commitment to handing over one’s cash – again and again – can actually be an act of love. No one’s really immune to it. We’re all, at some point or another, cheering on our own manipulation by a corporate marketing department. That said, I’d be surprised if anyone was duped by DC League of Super-Pets, which features Dwayne Johnson as the voice of Krypto, Superman’s beloved pooch from the comics, and ends with a sledgehammer-to-the-face reminder that Johnson’s next DC project, Black Adam, comes out in October.
