Starting tomorrow, August 15, James Gunn’s Superman arrives on NBC’s premium Fandango At Home platform, accompanied by a new five-minute animated short starring the film’s breakout character, Krypto the Superdog. While this marks the first of several planned shorts, the debut episode has already sparked controversy for its lackluster execution.
The Problem With Krypto’s Characterization
In the feature film, Krypto shines because he remains consistently self-interested. He helps the heroes not out of a moral compass, but because he enjoys the thrill of biting adversaries. It is a refreshing, cynical take on the “heroic pet” trope. Unfortunately, this new cartoon abandons that edge. After a promising start—where Krypto uses his heat vision on a flea and terrorizes a pigeon—the short forces the dog into a generic heroic role, having him save a school bus out of a sense of obligation. The result is a character shift that feels entirely unearned.
A Derivative and Uninspired Production
Beyond the character issues, the short suffers from a lack of originality. The premise feels like a blatant, unacknowledged knock-off of the classic Hanna-Barbera series Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines. Failing to pay homage to the source material while delivering a series of clumsy, repetitive sequences involving a school bus in peril makes for a frustrating viewing experience. It is a disappointing companion piece for a film that otherwise maintained a much higher standard of quality.
Sticker Shock: The Cost of Streaming Superman
The arrival of Superman on Fandango At Home also highlights the aggressive pricing models currently dominating the digital rental market. With pre-orders priced at $30 and rental fees expected to hit the $20 mark, the cost of watching a single movie at home is becoming increasingly difficult to justify. These prices, likely intended to mirror the cost of a theater ticket, feel exorbitant compared to traditional home rental standards, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of such high-priced digital transactions.
