Underdog
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Movie Reviews of Underdog
Movie Review: He's like Superman only with a flea collar
Summary: 3 Stars
He's a forlorn beagle, a failed police dog when he's caught up by Cad (Patrick Warburton). He thinks he's gone to the pound, but it's worse. Dr. Simon Barsinister (Peter Dinklage) is a certified Evil Genius and he's going to be experimenting on the dogs to create genetic mutations.
Being the new dog on the block, the beagle is set to get tonight's shot. He panics and ends up with more than he'd bargained for.
He manages to escape the lab and is taken in by Dan Unger, (James Belushi) an ex-cop who's dealing with the loss of his wife and the alienation of his son Jack (Alex Neuberger).
Jack isn't interested at first, but then the dog starts to talk. From there, the pair bond and build a relationship based on helping others.
"Underdog" is a cute film and while I could say it's for 'kids of all ages', it's a very young film. The special effects were entertaining--how did they make the beagle look so much like he's talking? And it's always good to see James Belushi.
Probably my favorite part of the film was the first "Underdog" cartoon. They may imitate, but they will never duplicate the real Underdog!
Movie Review: Not overly creative, but mildly fun
Summary: 3 Stars
The movie tried to do its best with the original material. They kept Underdog a dog, Polly a dog, and Simon a human. However, Shoeshine was a wise-cracking dog and not a humble shoeshine dog/boy? The movie had some mild chuckles. The movie played up looking at the world from a canine point of view pretty well. I was disappointed they made the Underdog theme song a rap. There is a "Scrubs" episode where the song was sung acapella by a barbershop type group. It worked very well. In my opinion, they should had followed that lead or mixed it up some. The movie didn't do anything really creative. The actors were ok. The plot was predictable.
In summary, the movie was ok. The humor was the strongest part of the movie and the canine/human relationship works somewhat. Don't expect too much and definitely rent don't buy.
Movie Review: Fun movie
Summary: 3 Stars
I normally don't go it for talking animals flicks but this one is an exception. It is entertaining and a good mix of humor with action. Is it the best movie of this genre? Probably not but it is a lot of fun.Movie Review: Underdog Is Here, But He's Not All That Great...
Summary: 2 Stars
Some movies just don't sound all that appealing from the moment you hear about them. Case in point, Disney's newest film "Underdog" based on the classic cartoon series about a crime fighting super dog. The premise is stupid, just as it was on the cartoon, but the cartoon still managed to entertain audiences in its day and it still does with reruns whenever they air. But when I heard that Disney was making a live-action adaptation of the cartoon, I thought this is going to be a really stupid, most likely crappy movie. But then I saw a preview for the movie, and my opinion changed, the preview showed that the movie had decent acting talents Jim Belushi, Peter Dinklage, Patrick Warburton, and Jason Lee; the film also seemed to be full of humor, with a little bit of slapstick thrown in for good measure (a must when adapting a cartoon); and it seemed that the movie actually had good special effects for making a flying, talking, superhero dog believable. So, I went from not caring if I ever saw the movie, to actually looking forward to getting to sit down to watch it.
"Underdog" is the story of an ordinary beagle named Shoeshine (voiced by Jason Lee) who through a series of unforeseen accidents; finds himself in a lab operated by a mad scientist named Dr. Barsinister (Peter Dinklage). When Barsinister tries to experiment on Shoeshine, the dog breaks free causing a devastating accident in the lab, and he is exposed to an experimental chemical that leaves him with super powers such as flight, strength and the ability to talk. After breaking free of the lab, Shoeshine finds himself a new home with a security guard (Jim Belushi) and his son, where he determines that his newfound powers can be used to save the citizens of Capital City from evil as the crime fighter, Underdog. However, when Barsinister, along with his henchman Cad (Patrick Warburton), discovers that this new hero, Underdog, is actually their escaped beagle, they will stop at nothing until the dog is returned to them, leaving the fates of those Shoeshine/Underdog cares for hanging in the balance. Now, all that remains is for us to hear those famous heroic words, "This looks like a job for Superm...err, umm... oops, wrong movie, here's what I meant, "There's no need to fear, Underdog is here!".
Well, here's the lesson that I learned from watching Disney's new film, "Underdog". Sometimes it's better to go with your initial gut instinct, instead of letting your mind be changed by smart marketing types who know how to properly edit batches of film together to make a fun, entertaining trailer that will get your attention and make you want to see the film, even though your better judgment is telling you that there's no reason at all that you should even be tempted to watch it.
The problems I had with "Underdog" are not major, but they are big enough gripes to take away from the overall enjoyment of the movie. The story isn't anything spectacular by any means; I mean it is supposed to be a kids movie that is adapted from a classic kids cartoon. When a studio sets out to make a kids movie, which is something that Disney does quite often (though to varying degrees of success as of late), then the filmmaker(s) and the writer(s) should feel some obligation to entertain the parents on some level, not the entire time necessarily, but at least a little bit. Especially, when the subject matter is taken from a classic cartoon series that some of these parents most likely watched and loved as kids, therefore I think there should at least be some kind of joke or sight gag or something that adults would get and enjoy as well. Now, I'm not saying there needs to be some kind of raunchy humor, by no means is that what I'm implying, you still keep the family-friendly tone, but there are ways to inject humor aimed more at adults without getting dirty, `Looney Toons' used to do it all the time in their animated shorts, so why can't the current crop of creative types come up with anything?
The casting choices for this film were good, for the most part; some of the more talented members of the cast seemed wasted in their roles. Jim Belushi and Patrick Warburton are two very funny actors (in my opinion), but in this film neither funnyman is given much to do. Jim Belushi has had great success with his hit sitcom "According to Jim" on ABC, and with various movie projects throughout the years, but in this film it seemed like they didn't want him to be funny, which is fine he's done drama as well, and he's good at it, but his material is just so paper thin that I'm surprised he even signed on to the film. I mean, his character basically exists as a plot device to get the dog, Shoeshine, into a loving home, setting up for the obligatory shenanigans around the home that have been done to death in other movies, except here they can take things a little more extreme due to the whole super powered dog trick. Now, Disney has used Patrick Warburton in at least one of their previous films the hit animated movie "The Emperor's New Groove", he was the hilarious not-so evil, evil sidekick Kronk, who essentially stole the show, even got his own sequel "Kronk's New Groove". In this film, just like Jim Belushi, Patrick's character seems like a waste of time, he's given a few funny lines to say, but other than that he pretty much just stands around with nothing to do. With two solid comedic actors in such thankless roles, it makes me wonder was the script much funnier before filming or editing took place or were the paychecks just too good to resist? Actor Jason Lee (better known as Earl on TV's "My Name is Earl") was decent as the voice of Shoeshine/Underdog, he gave the character a likeable charm and sharp wit, but truth be told, any other actor could have done just as good, it's not like he has crafted a character that people will only remember his voice associated with. Peter Dinklage was good as the evil Dr. Barsinister, he seemed to be enjoying the role and being allowed to ham it up, but after awhile even his character seemed to have less and less to do. The younger actors (the one playing Jim Belushi's son and his would-be girlfriend) were alright, but both seemed inexperienced, and their performances felt stiff because of this.
The special effects employed in this film were all very well done. I was surprised that for a kids movie that was adapted from a cartoon that the effects looked much more realistic than cartoonish. The flying scenes in particular were really well done, especially the sequence where Underdog is squaring off against three other super powered dogs working for the evil Barsinister. Basically, the effects are the only real highlight for this film, at least from an adult's perspective; kids will no doubt be entertained throughout the entire duration of the movie.
Overall, "Underdog" is an average movie, that's aimed solely at kids with little to no humor that ever manages to get above the level of cute. So, you parents out there who may believe that the movie looked good based on the previews (in case your curious this is a case where most of the funny parts are in the previews) and your fond memories of the cartoon series, don't expect too much from the end result. You will most likely wind up just as disappointed as I was, but at least your kids will be happy, so at least you'll have that.
"Underdog" is rated PG for mild violence.
Movie Review: There IS a need to fear
Summary: 2 Stars
Almost everything you fear this is going to be, it is -- cheesy, dull, loud, overproduced, under-inspired and a waste of talent. The film's only saving grace is it isn't offensive. You can let your kids watch it without worry.
Stay away from it, though, if you're a fan of the beloved original series. After the title sequence, this movie has no respect for the old television show and never approaches its waggish sense of humor. You'll be better served by the new DVD collections of the TV series -- The Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 1, The Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 2 and The Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 3. They're badly edited, but they're better than this.