Underdog : Chien volant non identifié

I liked Underdog and so did my 7 and 9 year-olds. Of course it's not high art...but one of my favorite things about this flick was that there weren't any flatulence jokes. To me, this fact is worth at least 2.5 stars alone!

I loved Jason Lee's voice characterization of Underdog (unfortunately named 'Shoeshine' by his adopted family) and the villains were hilarious and outstanding. Of course, we have to live with plot implausibilities, a few tired clichés here and there, (in fact, poor Jim Belushi's entire character is a cliché!) ridiculous CGI 'live animals talking' special effects but so what? These are expected qualities of nearly all modern 'family' films.

I thought the Superman plot line was fun with the little Lois Lane cocker spaniel (why can't she recognize Underdog in the daytime? He's just minus his cape!). Our packed theater was laughing throughout this movie. And they broke out into applause at the end! 'Underdog' doesn't take itself seriously at all. It is what it is, and it is not going to win any Oscars, and it doesn't care. It's just fun.

This movie was fun to watch, even for us adults. The humor was spot on, and the acting was what you'd expect. Jason Lee was great as Underdog's voice. Get this movie when it comes out on DVD. It's worth your while for a few chuckles with the kids. Even though it's aimed at kids, both my wife and I liked it, and honestly, I usually don't like kid's movies. I think they are usually way to low on the intelligence and believability scale. This one, actually had a decent story that didn't stray into stupidity and utter ridiculousness that most kid's movies do. Once again, go see this movie, or get the DVD when it comes out, you can see it again and again.

I don't get the hate aimed at this movie!! What were people expecting?? It's a kids movie about a dog with super powers. Realism obviously isn't to be expected.

Plot In A Paragraph: A bomb-sniffing dog is fired from the police force for a high profile mistake. That night Cad (Patrick Warburton) dognaps him, Cad works as a henchman for Simon Barsinister (Peter Dinklage) a mad scientist, who injects him with an elixir. The dog escapes, but now has superpowers. He's adopted by Dan Unger (James Belushi) a security guard - an ex-cop, who's a widower with a moody teen son, Jack. While Barsinister and Cad plot to catch him and take over the city.

Dinklage hams it up and Warburton dumbs it down to amusing effect, while its always good to see James Belushi in screen. I watched it with my young son, and we both enjoyed it. He was the target audience, and I enjoyed it for what it was.

I have seen much worse kids movies...

Underdog is very enjoyable despite its flaws and deserves better for a jolly superhero film! Jason Lee did great as the titular role and I think it's awesome James Belushi is a main character in a dog movie especially since he was in the K-9 films in the 90's. It does what it's made for pure wild fun and simple 83 minutes; that should be appreciated for sure!

When I first became a father about 5.5 years ago, I was prepared for many of the sacrifices I'd have to make. I knew I'd have to change diapers and take them to swimming lessons and attend many a freezing Santa Claus parade, but I wasn't ready for the kind of sacrifice I made last night. This, in my humble opinion, is cruel and unusual punishment.

Underdog is bad. It's not quite Karate Dog bad, but it makes The Shaggy Dog feel like Pulp Fiction. If Underdog were a television show, I'd recommend flipping on by. Not even the presence of Puddy and the voice of Banky Edwards can save it. Bow. Wow.

It was also just about the best 80 minutes I've ever enjoyed. James was seated to the right of me and Michelle to the left, and I spent more time watching their reaction to this talking, flying mutt than watching the screen. At 5 and 3 years old, they were the target audience, and this movie nailed the target. There's a scene where Underdog belches loudly in another dogs face and Michelle thought it was the funniest scene ever captured on film. When Underdog was flying into outer space, James was literally at the edge of his seat, mesmerized. The kids absolutely loved Underdog, and that's why I was there. That's what last night was all about.

Unless you're accompanying someone under the age of ten, you have no business wasting a second of your life watching this brutal film. But if you are looking to kill 80 minutes with your four year old, I won't judge. I had a blast.