Five years ago, I couldn’t have told you a single thing about PAW Patrol other than one had a cop hat and one appeared to be a firefighter. Now? With a four-year-old, I know Rocky, Chase, Zuma, Sky, Marshall and Rubble like the back of my hand, and have watched dozens and dozens of their antics in Adventure Bay. So yes, I understand why it’s a huge deal when a PAW Patrol movie hits theaters. In this case, that’s PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie, and reviews are in.

Right now, PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie has an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes from almost two dozen critics, indicating this is not going to be total trash you must force yourself to sit through with your child. These critics are not four-year-olds, after all.

This 86% is higher than the previous two PAW Patrol movies; the original in 2021 had an 82% (and 97% audience score), and PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, which I have watched no less than 12 times, had a 71% (with a 93% audience score). That’s BS, the final moment where Skye punches an asteroid is amazing.

In any case, this score sets a record for the PAW Patrol movie lineup. I would compare it to the show and its various specials, but essentially none of those have even four critic reviews to formulate a score on Rotten Tomatoes. I cannot say I’m shocked. Oh wait, I’m a critic on Rotten Tomatoes! I certainly qualify as an expert at this point. I’ll write some up.

I also know that this is definitely not the first time the PAW Patrol has dealt with dinosaurs. There were dino rescue episodes before this, just like there were pup superhero episodes before the Mighty Movie. The production quality of the movies is much higher than that of the show, with more detailed animation and better action. Here’s what The Dino Movie is about:

“After their ship gets caught in a mysterious storm, the PAW Patrol pups crash-land on an uncharted tropical island filled with dinosaurs. They meet Rex, a pup who has been stranded on the island for years and has become an expert in all things dino-related. When the PAW Patrol's archrival, Mayor Humdinger, begins recklessly mining in hopes of exploiting the island for its natural resources, he inadvertently causes a huge, dormant volcano to erupt. The PAW Patrol pups are thrown into a series of high-stakes, dino-sized rescues bigger than anything they've done before, as they must stop Humdinger before everything on the island goes extinct.”

So, Jurassic Park, they crash on a Jurassic Park island. And Mayor Humdinger, you need to stop with this nonsense; you’re always almost killing everyone because you want a diamond or a trophy or a hat or whatever.

PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie is projected to make around $20-$30 million in its opening weekend, which is good because it is going against Spider-Man, The Odyssey and The End of Oak Street all at the same time. It probably would have gone higher without all that. For reference, The Mighty Movie went on to make $205 million in 2023 on an estimated $30 million budget.

I…am not taking my son. At four, I still don’t think he can do movie theaters. One, because I think it could be overwhelming, but mainly two, I think he will be asking loud questions the entire time, as he does with every episode at home. So maybe in three more years when they make the next one.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller seriesand The Earthborn Trilogy.