My Movie Review on Underdog (2007) · 2:57pm Feb 5th, 2019
Greetings, everyone!
Once again, I'm back with another movie review. And today, I'll be reviewing Disney's 2007 adaption of Underdog.
In this super canine origin story, a beagle (who used to work as a police dog) is taken to a laboratory run by the evil Simon Barsinister (portrayed by Peter Dinklage) and his evil sidekick, Cad (portrayed by Patrick Warburton). But, while he tries to escape from the clutches of the villainous duo, an accident in the lab happens when several of the mad scientist's potions consisting of animal DNA spills on him, giving him super powers, including the ability to speak to humans (the voice and narration being provided by Jason Lee). After escaping from the lab, he comes across a family consisting of a father (portrayed by Jim Belushi) and his teenaged son (portrayed by Alex Neurberger), and is given the name of Shoeshine. From there on, he must juggle with the balance of being a house pet and a superhero.
I know that this film has been negatively reviewed most of the time, so, I'd like to start with the two things I don't like about it.
My only problems with the film were the runtime, because to me, it felt too surprisingly short, especially to the point of where you wish it could've been longer. The other problem was the way the film was edited, especially at parts where some moments and conversations could have been longer and more fleshed out.
However, aside from those two things I mentioned, I actually really enjoyed this film. Everything else about it is completely awesome!
The humor that the film had was cleverly timed, especially the jokes revolving around the title character himself.
The story and plot line by Adam Rifkin, Joe Piscatella, and Craig A. Williams was also something that I thought was well-thought, because it isn't without heart, meaning, and moral. The direction by Frederick Du Chau certainly helped to bring all three of those things out in the open, as well as retain faithfulness to the original cartoon. You'll definitely have to see the film to truly get what I'm talking about, because you won't know unless you see it.
Along with these factors I just mentioned, the acting, casting, and characters were really great too. Patrick Warburton & Brad Garett were definite scene-stealers with their portrayals of Cad & Riff-Raff, and I love how lovable & sympathetic Jim Belushi was able to make his character of Don Unger, especially as a father wanting to reconnect with his son.
Another performer I can't help but particularly commend is Peter Dinklage & his portrayal of Barsinister. He gave his character such a three-dimensional feel, with personal hatred towards his enemies growing throughout, and the want to be respected, noticed, and in-command over others. He also gave his character such a classic villain feel with every line & moment.
But, the best performer out of all of them is definitely Jason Lee, along with his portrayal and character of Shoeshine/Underdog. Lee was able to give his character the best lines out of everyone, and he gave his character such great personality & comedic-timing throughout. The character was also extremely relatable in so many ways. Underdog is trying to find his sea legs for who he can be in the world, even in circumstances he doesn't want to be in & even if he doesn't want to be a hero to begin with. I think it's definitely something audiences can relate to, given that things don't always go the way we want them to.
Underdog's character development can particularly be classified as one of the film's hearts and souls. Every step of the way, I was rooting for Underdog, and I was wanting to see where things would go for him. I have no doubt that you all would want to be seeing that as well.
But, I think the best part of the film though was Kyle Massey & the song he performed for the film. His song really rocked the house! He gave the whole thing such an awesome combination of singing & rapping, and he nailed every single lyric in the song. The result of it all is a song that's so catchy and brilliant, you can't get it out of your head.
With this video here, you can see what I mean:
In the end, "Underdog" is a flawed but unexpectedly fun movie.
So, I rate Disney's "Underdog" a solid 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
I'm not really a fan of talking dog movies and family specials trying way too hard to be sad, or anything like that. All they do is make me feel uncomfortable.
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Is it like that with every film?
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More often than not.
I’ve never even heard of this. But it sounds really good! I will watch someday (if I ever have time, of course. I’m beginning to wonder if I really have enough time for all the things I have to watch, read, play, and listen to. It’s crazy!).
That song was really good!