Movie Review for Underdog

Summary: A bumbling watchdog gets exposed to a substance that gives him the powers of a superhero. He is adopted by a 12-year-old boy and uses his superpower to protect his love and the citizens of Capitol City from the evil Simon Barsinister.

                         Reviews of Underdog
By John Wirt of Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) (7/0)
            A very bad dog of a movie.

By Brian Webster of Apollo Guide (7/0)
            This seems to be another case of Hollywood figuring that kids aren't going to notice the differen...

By Janice Page of Boston Globe (7/0)
            Where (oh where) are Tennessee Tuxedo and Phineas J. Whoopie when we need them?

By Todd Hertz of Christianity Today (7/0)
            It's just average family entertainment with the normal messages: friendship, unconditional love, ...

By Joshua Tyler of CinemaBlend.com (7/0)
            Interview: Underdog Creator Joe Harris

By Scott Weinberg of Cinematical (7/0)
            Just stick with a double feature of Babe and Superman. Now that's a family movie night.

                         Reviews of Underdog
By Brian Orndorf of DVDTALK.COM (7/0)
            Apparently, the idea of a beagle in a red sweater fighting diminutive Peter Dinklage wasn't enoug...

By James Diers of E! Online (7/0)
            Frederik Du Chau transforms the campy '60s and '70s cartoon into a mostly toothless, family-frien...

By Peter Sobczynski of eFilmCritic.com (7/0)
            The film is a smug and contemptuous mess from beginning to end that is likely to bore little kids...

By Eric D. Snider of EricDSnider.com (7/0)
            Hollywood once again demonstrates its ability to take a mediocre idea and destroy what little pot...

By Frank Lovece of Film Journal International (7/0)
            The oddest thing is the movie's dumbed-down level of humor, which leans toward predictable dog-po...

By Michael Ferraro of Film Threat (7/0)
            The screenplay, tackled by three people, follows the formula of the show (and the genre in genera...

                         Reviews of Underdog
By Kirk Honeycutt of Hollywood Reporter (7/0)
            Good one-liners and dog tricks, but no best in show.

By Jim Slotek of Jam! Movies (7/0)
            Cuteness can't carry an entire movie, and Underdog is short of actual funny stuff and affecting p...

By Jim Ridley of L.A. Weekly (7/0)
            Even the promising team of Peter Dinklage’s mad scientist Simon Barsinister and Patrick Warburton...

By Glenn Whipp of Los Angeles Daily News (7/0)
            It seems there are some things even Underdog can't conquer -- carelessness and mediocrity topping...

By Mark Dujsik of Mark Reviews Movies (7/0)
            A live-action version of the 1960s-70s cartoon "Underdog" seemed a really bad idea, but it turns ...

By Pete Hammond of Maxim (7/0)
            8-year olds will eat it up but adults probably will want to exit the theatre with, as Underdog mi...

                         Reviews of Underdog
By Ken Hanke of Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (7/0)
            Exactly the movie you'd expect from the director of Racing Stripes and the writer of Zoom.

By Michael Dequina of Mr. Brown's Movies (7/0)
            The tag line is simply brilliant, but that's about the only thing remotely associated with this f...

By Jack Mathews of New York Daily News (7/0)
            Underdog is made for the Saturday morning TV crowd, and parents who lead their tykes to this adve...

By Kyle Smith of New York Post (7/0)
            I have an idea for the sequel: "Underdog Vs. Michael Vick."

By Jeannette Catsoulis of New York Times (7/0)
            ...the lackluster story connects the clichés but leaves the characters isolated.

By Jeannette Catsoulis of New York Times (7/0)
            The lackluster story connects the clichés but leaves the characters isolated. Underdog may have b...

                         Reviews of Underdog
By Stephen Whitty of Newark Star-Ledger (7/0)
            I had a painless enough time. And so -- given a quiet Saturday, a stifling heat wave and a fretfu...

By Scott Tobias of Onion AV Club (7/0)
            Whatever the intent, the result is unfit for humankind.

By Bill Gibron of PopMatters (7/0)
            Underdog is so piecemeal it should come with a roll of duct tape. It's so desperate to be everyth...

By Betty Jo Tucker of ReelTalk Movie Reviews (7/0)
            'Underdog' features some amusing antics by a very cute Beagle in the title role, but it's not qui...

By Scott Weinberg of Rotten Tomatoes (7/0)
            First "Underdog" Teaser Hits the Scene

By Jim Lane of Sacramento News & Review (7/0)
            ...not as bad as it might have been...

                         Reviews of Underdog
By Sean Means of Salt Lake Tribune (7/0)
            Seeing realistic animals in feats of derring-do - or kicking each other around, action-movie styl...

By Rob Humanick of Slant Magazine (7/0)
            A film like Underdog is best defined by its complete lack of distinction.

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of Spirituality and Practice (7/0)
            A children's movie about a superhero beagle that recycles material and themes we've seen far too ...

By Dustin Putman of TheMovieBoy.com (7/0)
            A big-hearted movie that delights in playing with the conventions of superhero pictures. In the s...

By Peter Howell of Toronto Star (7/0)
            Even at a lean 84 minutes, padded with a credit blooper reel, it seems long. If you've seen one f...

By Ken Fox of TV Guide's Movie Guide (7/0)
            If, however, you set your expectations just low enough, or are an easily satisfied 8-year-old, yo...

                         Reviews of Underdog
By Justin Chang of Variety (7/0)
            The sort of noisy, over-produced affair in line with much recent family-friendly programming.

By Christopher Smith of Bangor Daily News (Maine) (4/3) No reference
            Oh, there's reason to fear. 'Underdog' the movie is here.

By Chad Greene of Boxoffice Magazine (6/1) No reference
            Saddled with shoddy storytelling, this is an Underdog in the saddest sense.

By Joshua Katzman of Chicago Reader (6/1) No reference
            The TV show was mildly subversive, with humor that children and adults could enjoy on different l...

By Jeff Vice of Deseret News, Salt Lake City (6/1) No reference
            About all the film offers is some bad CGI effect work, a bored-sounding Jason Lee providing the v...

By John Monaghan of Detroit Free Press (6/1) No reference
            Serious movie standards aren't necessarily required in an entertainment like Underdog. Still, as ...

                         Reviews of Underdog
By Sam Adams of Los Angeles Times (6/1) No reference
            The movie's sloppiness is galling, especially given its target audience. It's one thing to feed g...

By Colin Covert of Minneapolis Star Tribune (6/1) No reference
            Underdog is an underachiever in almost every way.

By Nell Minow of Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies (6/1) No reference
            There may be no need to fear now that Underdog is here, but there is no reason to feel very happy...

By Michael Elliott of Movie Parables (6/1) No reference
            During the film, a five year old kept pleading with her mother, "I wanna go home." I hear you, ki...

By Gene Seymour of Newsday (6/1) No reference
            Underdog, putting it mildly, lacks the sleekness and cunning of other, better kids' flicks, thoug...

By Marrit Ingman of Austin Chronicle (6/1) Not Reachable
            The elements of the film don’t quite mesh: The villains are cartoony, but [director] Du Chau aims...

Movie Distributors
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Production Companies
Classic Media
Spyglass Entertainment Group

Movie Studios
Walt Disney Pictures