Film Reviews

Underdog

• Rating:
• Director: Frederik Du Chau.
• Starring: Jason Lee (voice), James Belushi, Patrick Warburton, Peter Dinklage.
• Details: US / 84mins (PG).

Adapted from the '70s cartoon series, this kid's movie sees ex-bomb-sniffing beagle Shoeshine (Lee) transform into the rhyming super hero Underdog by a mad scientist - the aptly-named Barsinister (Dinklage). Shoeshine escapes the lab only to be adopted by security guard Dan (Belushi) and his moody son Jack (Alex Neuberger). As ShoeshineUnderdog flies about the city saving lives and arresting perps, Barsinister, along with bumbling sidekick Cad (Warburton), plots to recapture him and take over the city. You could see where Disney was coming from - resurrect a cult TV show, use Lee's drawl voiceover from My Name Is Earl, throw in a few nods to other movies (Superman II and The Lady And The Tramp) and it's a sure-fire hit. Not so. The idea is okay for a kid's movie, keeping this family comedy light and breezy without offending anyone, while the animators really got the dog's moving mouth down. Lee is fine too, doing his best with the lines afforded, but they're not funny enough to surpass the initial 'Wow - it's a talking dog' novelty. It's Warburton and the perpetually-underrated Dinklage who make a decent family film bad guys pairing, and who get all the laughs.

Review by Gavin Burke