I remember watching different cartoons featuring superheroes when I was a child. I enjoyed them and I now tend to enjoy movies featuring superheroes. I was interested in seeing Underdog, a movie based on a cartoon, when I first saw a trailer.
A beagle dog who had been trained for police work was captured and taken to the laboratory of Simon Barsinister. He was doing genetic experiments and using dogs for test subjects. Things didn’t go like Barsinister planned and the dog ended up with special powers before escaping the lab. He was taken in by Dan Unger, a security guard, and named Shoeshine. Dan’s son Jack was shocked when he realized exactly what Shoeshine could do. The two became friends while coming up with a costume and name, Underdog, so that Shoeshine could fight crime without anyone knowing who he was. Barsinister, with the help of Cad, started up his research again and started trying to find Underdog.
This movie was based on the cartoon that started airing in 1964. When the movie started, a few short clips from the cartoon where shown. I remember watching the cartoon when I was a child, though I can’t remember too many specifics beyond the fact that a dog named Shoeshine changed into Underdog to fight crime. From what I do remember, he and the female dog Polly Purebred didn’t have owners. I think the dogs walked around upright on two feet, wore clothes, and even had jobs like people. I have no idea how Underdog got his powers in the cartoon, so that aspect of the story might have been changed for the movie. The look of the dog was a bit different from how he looked in the cartoon. Underdog has also been featured in some comic books over the years.
Underdog took a little bit of time to introduce Shoeshine and show how he got his special powers. During those scenes, the voice of the dog was narrating related to what was going on. He also narrated during other scenes throughout the movie. The plot was fairly simple and really didn’t have any surprises, but it was still entertaining. Shoeshine was trying to adjust to his new abilities while having a family for the first time. Barsinister was obsessed with continuing his research and he wanted Shoeshine back for that purpose. I did think the movie was entertaining even though it was predictable.
I think that Underdog made a good family friendly movie. Yes it was a bit silly, but I expected that since it was about a dog that could fly and fight crime. Barsinister made a good villain and did seem crazed with his obsession to restart his research. He could seem a little scary to younger children. Some of the scenes from his lab might be upsetting to children as well. I wasn’t too thrilled with the idea that he was using dogs as test subjects. Things moved along at a decent pace without being rushed for most of the movie. A few scenes that were more serious in dealing with some family issues did slow the pace down and seemed to drag just a little bit. The movie did include a lesson without shoving it down the throats of the viewers.
This movie was funny and entertaining overall. I did laugh several times throughout the movie. There were a few serious moments, usually between Jack and Dan or Jack and Shoeshine, but the movie was still mostly funny. Certain things that were done for humor were a bit crude or gross. There weren’t as many of those types of jokes used as there have been in other movies. Most of the humor was silly in nature, which worked for the movie. People that are bothered by silly humor should pick a different movie.
A real dog was used for Shoeshine/Underdog in some scenes with CGI used when Underdog was using his new powers, like flying. Effects were also used to make it look like Shoeshine and the other dogs were talking. He was the only dog that humans could hear and understand. When he communicated with other dogs, like Polly, it was made to look like those dogs were also speaking in English. Effects were also used in scenes connected to Barsinister’s experiments. I did think that the effects were well done, though something looked very off about Shoeshine/Underdog in one scene late in the movie.
Shoeshine had been trained to work with the police, but a problem with his sense of smell caused him problems with that work. After his latest screw up, he was taken to the laboratory where he received his new abilities. All he wanted was to be a normal dog with a family. He didn’t want to use his powers at first but decided it was the right thing to do. He did like helping people as Underdog. The voice that Jason Lee provided fit the character really well.
Polly Purebred was a pretty female dog that Shoeshine was interested in. She only had eyes for Underdog. Amy Adams provided her voice. A large dog named Riff Raff turned up a few times to bully Shoeshine. Brad Garrett’s voice was perfect for the character. A couple of other animal characters also turned up in a couple of scenes without being too important.
The rest of the cast were humans. Dan was a security guard trying to reconnect with his son Jack. The two had a family crisis that they were still trying to work through. Jack was a bit temperamental at times, but he seemed to settle down once he decided he liked Shoeshine. James Belushi didn’t have that much to do since his part really wasn’t that big. Alex Neuberger was in more of the movie as Jack. He was fine, though nothing really special in the part. Molly was a girl that Jack had a crush on. She wrote for the school newspaper and owned Polly. She did something very stupid at one point. Taylor Momsen was fine in the part.
Simon Barsinister was very devoted to his genetic research. He thought it would not only change the world, but improve it. He didn’t seem to be the most stable, especially after things went wrong. He started up a secret lab in the sewers to continue his work. Peter Dinklage did really well with the part. Cad was working with Barsinister, basically as a flunky even though he kept saying he was a partner. Cad was no where near the brightest crayon in the box, so he ended up messing up at times. Patrick Warburton was really good as the dim-witted Cad. He did look a bit different since he had blonde hair instead of his natural darker hair.
Main Cast
Amy Adams - Voice of Polly Purebred James Belushi - Dan Unger Peter Dinklage - Simon Barsinister Brad Garrett - Voice of Riff Raff Jason Lee - Voice of Shoeshine/Underdog Taylor Momsen - Molly Alex Neuberger - Jack Unger Patrick Warburton - Cad
Frederik Du Chau - Director
Underdog was a somewhat silly, but entertaining family friendly movie. People that remember enjoying the cartoon or like superhero movies might also like this movie.
Product DetailsOriginal Title:Underdog (Walt Disney) (Widescreen/Fullscreen)Actors: Amy Adams - Jason Lee - Jim Belushi - Peter DinklageCondition: US...More at iNetVideo.com
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