Friday 25 August 2023

Paw Patrol: The Movie (3½ Stars)



I'm aware of Paw Patrol. My grandson Oliver watches their adventures on YouTube, and I sometimes look over his shoulder, but I've never paid much attention to them. The concept of dogs driving around in cars solving crime has never appealed to me.

This means that the movie was the first time I heeded them. My primary criticism is that the film makes no concessions for new viewers like me. It isn't an origin story. The dogs are already active as super-heroes. I tried in vain to figure out the names of the dogs. As I sit writing this review, the only one I can name is Chase, the puppy who drives a police car.

An evil man called Humdinger has become the mayor of Adventure City. It was an easy feat, because there were no opposing candidates. Now he wants to make the city more pleasant by removing all dogs from the city. Supposedly, dog catchers are only supposed to capture stray dogs, but they're ordered to catch all of them by any means possible.

Mayor Humdinger also wants to become popular by making every day in the city sunny. A scientist has invented a device that sucks up the clouds. The machine has its limits, so the scientist wants to shut it off, but Humdinger insists on continuing. Eventually the machine explodes and the clouds are all released at once. There's a life-threatening storm in the city, which means Paw Patrol has to rush into action.

There's a lot of action and fun in the film. In its favour, Oliver was sitting on the edge of his seat. It didn't really appeal to me. When watching children's films I try to put myself in the mindset of a child, but the slapstick action was too random for me. And I'd still like to know the names of the dogs. I've seen trailers for a new Paw Patrol film which seems to be an origin story. It will probably be a better film.

Success Rate:  + 3.6

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