Underdog | Movie Review
Underdog the movie may be targeted for the 4-10 year olds, but delivers entertainment on most fronts more than other so-called “grown-up” movies. My family and I attended the evening show which had very few kids in the audience. From the audience reaction, I could tell that the adults were reacting favorably to this live action / comedy / fantasy / Sci-fi / “Superman” inspired movie. It is certainly one of the better “talking animals” movies. Forget Eddie Murphy’s animal movies or Scooby Doo, Underdog is the real thing, it is doggone better by far.
The intricate CGI effects and action sequences are well done. Underdog is fast paced catering to the post-MTV generation kids doped on sugar with resultant short attention spans.
The creative team has given a breath of fresh air to this not so well known 60s breakfast cereals-sponsored cartoon series. The main character, Underdog, emotes positivenesses missing in most of today’s films. It follows the life of a ineffective police dog which was kicked out of the Police Dog Unit because of its poor sense of smell. It subsequently gains superpowers accidentally in a scientific laboratory and losses its superpowers near the climax of the movie.
Though Underdog is without superpowers, it still decides to fight the handsome midget turned mad scientist (played superbly by Peter Dinklage) and dogs endowed with superpowers. Before it takes to the fight, Underdog says (quote):
“Some heroes are born,
destined for greatness.
Others are made.
Everyday men and women
and yes, dogs,
who rise up in times of crisis
no matter how high the odds
are stacked against them.
These are the heroes
we all have inside of us.
These are the Underdogs”.
The Underdog story parallels the story of a father (played by ex-action star James Belushi) and his son, both losers of sorts, who made it good in the end. A sort of movie Tom Cruise would do, though not with the same high acting values found in Cruise’s movies. So there you have it, three underdogs who became top dogs!. This could only happen in a Disney movie, but what the heck, do you want a movie that makes you feel good or do you want a movie with a hidden agenda or bad values?. Underdog is certainly a better movie than the “Golden Compass” read review.
The main star, James Belushi (brother of the beloved comedian Jim Belushi of “Animal House” and “Blues Brothers” fame) is a godfather of dog movies having starred or featured in “K-9 P.I.“, “Snow Dogs“, “K-911” , “Dog’s Best Friend” and “K-9“.
The motivational theme is commendable especially for the kids. Underdog teaches kids of all ages never to give up and to think of positive outcomes when doing selfless acts. The movie even encourages kids to use the Thesaurus!
Underdog also has a great soundtrack which includes some of the best soul and blues music ever recorded eg:
Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag (Part 1) – James Brown & The JB’s
Got My Mojo Workin’ – Muddy Waters
Poor Boy – Howlin’ Wolf
Hell Hound On My Trail – Robert Johnson
Boom Boom – John Lee Hooker
Grinnin’ In Your Face – Son House
plus rap music from Mos Def, Jay-Z, DMX and Wu Tang Clan; plus jazz from Wayne Shorter and rock from Jeffery Wright.
So take your kids to see this movie or buy the DVD as a Christmas gift. Underdog the movie did pretty well in the box office in Fall 2007 in spite of stiff competition from other blockbusters. You can’t go wrong with this Disney movie. It may not rank high among Disney’s long illustrious list of classics, but Underdog is certainly not a movie to be sniffed at.
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