UnderdogMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Underdog."

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Avg. Critic Score: 37 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
7 OK for kids 7+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    This digitized update, with Jason Lee as a huskier, more generic Underdog, mostly drops the doggerel, but the endearing airborne-beagle effects help to offset the formula twists. Read full review

  • 63
    New York Daily News | Jack Mathews

    Made for viewers old enough to appreciate a talking pooch but too young to read or write about it. Read full review

  • 60
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    The movie isn't nearly as bad as you would expect when the studio holds its only press screening the night before a national opening. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Justin Chang

    Falls somewhere between stale retread and half-hearted parody of superhero-movie formulas. Read full review

  • 40
    Austin Chronicle | Marrit Ingman

    The elements of the film don't quite mesh: The villains are cartoony, but Du Chau aims for soggy family drama in his father-son story. Read full review

  • 40
    L.A. Weekly |

    Even the promising team of Peter Dinklage's mad scientist Simon Barsinister and Patrick Warburton's henchman Cad turns out to be a bust. Read full review

  • 38
    Boston Globe | Janice Page

    Underdog! Rest assured, there is no superhero cliche left unchewed; they even manage to slide in a "Lady and the Tramp" homage while they're at it. Read full review

  • 30
    Los Angeles Times |

    Director Frederik Du Chau's big-screen Underdog has all of the cartoons' crudeness and none of their charm. It's the celluloid equivalent of sugar cereal: cheap, empty and headache-inducing. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | Jeannette Catsoulis

    Underdog may have been originally created to sell cereal for General Mills, but this latest incarnation couldn't sell Frisbees at a dog park. Read full review

  • 16
    The Onion A.V. Club | Scott Tobias

    The result is unfit for humankind. Read full review

View more reviews for Underdog on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 7+ Not too many new tricks left for the old Underdog.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that they might be more excited to see a beloved old cartoon transformed to a film than their kids. But even children who've never heard of the super crime-fighting dog will be drawn to a talking-animal movie. Although it's lighthearted, there is some mild, cartoonish violence involving characters being dragged through the street, getting hit with objects, and beging threatened by German Shepherds and a mad scientist and his sidekick. Dog owners: Don't be surprised if your young child pretends that your pet is Underdog.
  • Families can talk about the importance of helping others -- especially the people you love. How does Underdog help bring Jack and his dad together? How do they help Underdog? Kids: What would you do if your dog had superpowers? Families who've seen episodes of the old TV show can also talk about how it compares with this version.
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: Underdog uses his superpowers to help the people of Capitol City.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence and scariness: Cartoonish violence: Cad is dragged through the street, crashes into bus stop; thieves get hit with trash cans and ladders; characters are tied up, surrounded by violent dogs; a girl and her dog are tied to a building right next to a bomb; Dr. Barsinister tries to blow up a building.
  • sex false0 Sexy stuff: Dogs flirt and cuddle; a couple on the street kisses briefly; teenagers flirt, hug.
  • language false0 Language: Mild insults: "imbecile," "screw it up," "idiot."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Time magazine, People magazine, Jay Leno, The Tonight Show.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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