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What it's about:
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer brings his first 3-D film to the big screen with a comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government programme to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws.
What we thought:
After receiving much hype in the US after knocking Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince off the top of the box office, I was especially interested to see what all the fuss about these guinea pigs was about. This movie was, after all, produced by the man behind the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and his foray into a no-apologies kids movie, in 3D, is an irresistible prospect.
Ben Kendall (Zach Galifianakis, who is the funniest thing about The Hangover) is a highly skilled FBI agent who is no longer in the field. So he secretly trains and develops a team of highly-skilled guinea pigs. The pack is made up of the leader, Darwin (Sam Rockwell), daredevil and comedic explosive specialist Blaster (Tracey Morgan), sexy martial arts expert Juarez (Penelope Cruz), a rather nerdy mole Speckles (Nicolas Cage) and Mooch, the fly. Together they have to prove themselves by taking on an unauthorized mission to retrieve information from the diabolical creator of an electronic company, Saber (Bill Nighy), to prevent him from continuing his evil plan to take over the world. When the plan goes awry, their organisation is shut down and the guinea pigs are shipped off to a pet store.
The Bruckheimer brand is all about explosive action and edge-of-your-seat entertainment, and this movie doesn’t disappoint. The 3D effects, offer just another layer of thrills as kids get to experience the high octane energy that is often reserved for more 'grown-up' action movies. If they couldn’t see Transformers 2 because they were too young, then this movie makes up for all those disappointed younglings. The cast are top-notch and they use their trademark characteristics to bring these ridiculously out-there characters to life. Penelope’s real-life sultriness can be seen in Juarez’s every move while Tracey Morgan’s blustery comedic style makes Blaster as absurd as the characters he's played in Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock.
Since G-Force does have the under-12s squarely in its sights, the plot isn’t that much of a thinker and is really easy to follow. So be prepared to roll your eyes at each new implausible stunt while the kids bounce in their seats with delight.
G-Force, as far as kids' action movies go, is a pretty cool concept, but the result is rather bland. If you liked Babe, Dr. Dolittle and Beverly Hills Chihuahua, then you’ll enjoy this. But if you're on a budget, a two-month wait for the DVD release is perhaps a better option.
