Beginning in the early 1960s, a generation of children stuck close to their TV screens, to catch the latest installment of Underdog's ongoing battle with the villainous Dr. Simon Barsinister.
Now, thanks to director Frederik Du Chau's charming film adaptation and updating, Underdog (Disney/Spyglass), the series' original fans can share his magic with their children.
True, the modern Underdog (voiced by Jason Lee) has undergone some changes. He is not only a live-action figure, much indebted to modern technology, but his personality is quite distinct from his cartoon predecessor.
While the original Underdog, voiced by Wally Cox, might have been a professor on the faculty of Capitol City's local university, Lee's Underdog is more like Garfield, constantly perplexed by the foibles of the humans who surround him, and just as constantly on the lookout for a bite to eat.
As the movie opens, things are looking down for our hero. A failed police dog, he decides to abandon the force, only to find himself dognapped by Barsinister's hulking henchman, Cad (Patrick Warburton), to be experimental fodder for the bad doctor (Peter Dinklage). Barsinister has a plan to mix animal and human DNA.
He escapes, but not before being accidentally transformed into a bona fide superhero. On his own again, the future Underdog allows himself to be adopted by the bumbling security guard Don Unger (James Belushi), who names him Shoeshine, and his alienated son, Jack (Alex Neuberger).
As the bond between Jack and Shoeshine deepens, they provide each other with the kind of mutual support that is the ideal of friendship. Shoeshine helps Jack deal with the loss of his mother and the resentment he feels toward his father, while Jack helps Shoeshine face his true vocation as a superhero.
The human characters are largely two dimensional, but Warburton is humorously vain and Dinklage is appropriately sinister. But Belushi's "well-meaning father" character has little depth as written. The script does provide some laughs, however, for adults as well as for children, especially in the clever way it incorporates elements from the old series.
In between its hero's adventures, Underdog manages to defend some solid values, such as Jack being taught to be more appreciative of his father. The title character, meanwhile, learns that the risk of failure should not prevent him from helping others. The movie is on the whole good fun for parents and children alike.
The film contains occasional crass language and some mild innuendo, and scatological humor and cartoon violence perhaps preclude the film for young children. The USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
