G-Force Review

Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz on 07.27.2009

One of the best secret agent talking guinea pig movies ever made.

"G-Force" Review

Zach Galifianakis- Ben
Bill Nighy- Saber
Will Arnett- Kip Killian
Kelli Garner- Marcie

Sam Rockwell- Darwin (voice)
Penelope Cruz- Juarez (voice)
Tracy Morgan- Blaster (voice)
Jon Favreau- Hurley (voice)
Steve Buscemi- Bucky (voice)
Nicolas Cage- Speckles (voice)
Dee Bradley Baker- Mooch (voice)

Directed by Hoyt Yeatman

Screenplay by Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley, Ted Elliott, Terry Rosio, and Tim Firth, based on a story by Hoyt Yeatman

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures

Rated PG for some mild action and rude humor
Runtime- 89 minutes

Website: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/gforce/



"G-Force," directed by Hoyt Yeatman and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney, is a kid centric family action comedy that isn't ashamed of being kind of cheesy, goofy, lame, or gooey in telling its story of talking, secret agent guinea pigs that have been trained by the government to save the world. So, basically, your likely enjoyment of the movie is heavily predicated on whether or not you like modern, Disney produced family comedies and movies featuring talking animals. If you can't stand these kinds of movies, you're better off not bothering with it because you're going to hate every minute of it. If you're a fan, you'll probably like it. I'm usually a sucker for these kinds of movies, and I have no problem saying that I enjoyed "G-Force" quite a bit.

Now, that isn't to say that the flick is perfect or without glaring faults because it isn't perfect at all and has several issues that smack of someone telling Yeatman "Just get on with it. We don't need to know why that is happening." I'm usually a big proponent of not wasting time getting bogged down in needless exposition and explanation, but adding five minutes to the movie's running time to explain the back story of the guinea pigs and the government program that created them wouldn't have harmed the flow of the story at all. In fact, it would have likely helped the movie feel like its own movie instead of a sequel to a movie that was never made.

The flick starts out with the three secret agent guinea pigs in action. There's the team leader Darwin (voiced by Sam Rockwell), the spunky female Juarez (voiced by Penelope Cruz), and the resourceful action man/comedian Blaster (voiced by Tracy Morgan), with help from talking mole/computer genius Speckles (voiced by Nicolas Cage) and a surveillance fly named Mooch (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker). They intend to infiltrate the Los Angeles compound of Saber (Bill Nighy), a mega successful technology billionaire and suspected international arms dealer. Saber is up to something sinister, or so the human team leader Ben (Zach Galifianakis) and the FBI in general believe. So the G-Force infiltrate Saber's compound and retrieve potentially damaging information against Saber.

During a meeting with tight ass FBI agent Kip Killian (Will Arnett), we find out that the information isn't as damaging as believed and, as a result, Killian shuts the G-Force operation down. During the shutting down process, the talking animals escape capture via a series of high speed pseudo bank tubes and end up on the outside, sans their spy gear. After some running around hooha, Darwin, Juarez, Blaster, and Speckles end up in a Los Angeles pet shop where they're plopped in a display case with a wacko hamster named Bucky (voiced by Steve Buscemi) and a mellow, happy-go-lucky guinea pig named Hurley (voiced by Jon Favreau). The team is forced to find a way out of the pet shop, either via adoption or escape, so they can get back on the Saber case and stop whatever evil scheme he has planned for the world.

Meanwhile, Ben and his uber hot nerdy chick assistant Marcie (Kelli Garner) try to track the G-Force members down before Agent Killian and his goons find them and exterminate them (Killian really, really, really hates rodents). So it's all a big race against time from all angles. Will the G-Force team be found before they're destroyed? Will the G-Force be able to save the world before it's too late?

Now, again, the movie just plops the audience smack dab in the middle of the story, offering no explanation of the world the guinea pigs and the secret government program that allows them to be spies exist in. You eventually accept what's going on, mostly because the animation and the talking animal voice work is so well done and entertaining, but the lack of an explanation wounds the movie a bit. It doesn't kill it, it doesn't make it a bore or hard to follow, it just makes the movie something slightly less than it could have been. Really, five minutes of background information at the beginning introducing everything wouldn't have killed the flow of the movie. Heck, even two minutes would have helped.

The flick's other big issue is the lack of things to do for the human cast members. It's sad because the human cast is excellent. Zach Galifianakis, hot off "The Hangover," is perfect as G-Force team founder Ben. He's kind of goofy looking, he's obviously super smart but not as confident as he could be (he just gets pushed around by Killian and his FBI goons when Killian makes it clear that the program is shut down), and he's also got an on screen warmth that makes you believe in his sudden cause to find his guinea pig spies. He also has great, off beat chemistry with Kelli Garner's Marcie. I'd love to know more about their relationship and why Marcie likes Ben. It would have made a fun sub plot. Arnett tries very hard to make his FBI Agent Kip Killian interesting, and he just about succeeds. Arnett is quite funny keeping his face completely still.

And then there's Bill Nighy as Saber. Nighy is forced to play Saber as a kind of Bond villain but a Bond villain that never does anything all that evil or dastardly on screen. We're just supposed to accept that he could be evil or up to something. We do end up accepting it because he's Bill Nighy and he's British, but it would have been nice if he, like Arnett, had more to do. I will admit, though, that the way the Nighy storyline plays out is rather unexpected.

The movie is saved by the various special effects laden action set pieces and the simply awesome talking animal voice cast. Rockwell is perfect as the team leader Darwin. He's got that calm hero voice that lets you know that, yes, he's the team leader and he's going to do everything he can to succeed. Penelope Cruz is great as Juarez, as her spunky voice gives the team's only female member the kind of energy that sets her off from the other members. Tracy Morgan's Blaster, though, is the best of the bunch. He's goofy, he's funny, and he's just a bunch of action energy that you can't take your eyes off. He also gets some of the best lines (the moment where Blaster inadvertently names the team G-Force is one of the movie's biggest laughs. It's just so perfect and so ridiculous it will make you smile. In fact, you're likely to smile most at Blaster's antics. I know I laughed quite a bit when Blaster uses a small grill to barbecue guinea pig food).

Now, most people are likely to remember the wacko hamster Bucky, as voiced by Steve Buscemi, as Bucky is the most energetic of the cast. He's goofy, insane, and wacky all at the same time (check out the little cabin house he lives in in the display case. Quite the cozy accommodations if I may say so myself). Jon Favreau is funny as the mellow Hurley. You're likely to smile at his movement between being a slacker and trying to be a nice and fun friend. He also has quite the penchant for cake that's funny.

And then there's Nicolas Cage and his work as Speckles the computer genius mole. You're probably going to be surprised that he is the voice of Speckles, as Speckles sounds like comedian Chris Elliott. That's who I thought was doing the voice. But, no, it's Nicolas Cage. I hope on the eventual DVD release there's behind-the-scenes footage of Cage doing the voice work just so we can see him actually doing it. And if anyone ever decides to do a biopic on Chris Elliott I know who the producers should call.

The best special effects sequence is the motorized triple exercise ball car chase scene that's just amazing to watch. A close second is a simple empty tire rolling down the sidewalk scene that's old school movie work at its finest. There's also some great killer robot appliance sequences that easily rival the giant robot fights in "Transformers 2" (there's a killer coffee machine that uses a toaster as a gun that should definitely be an action figure. I know I'd buy one). The movie is playing in some theatres in 3-D (I saw it in standard 2-D), where I bet all of these sequences are more spectacular. At least I'd imagine they're more spectacular. There's a scene in the pet store involving a big ass snake that jumps out at the screen that probably looks great in 3-D (I bet it's also quite the jump scare in 3-D).

Now, there's also a big fart scene here that will either make you laugh hysterically or groan because you think fart jokes are cheap and not funny. I laughed at it because I certainly didn't think a kids movie like this would use a fart joke quite like the fart joke on display here. I bet it will live on for eternity/infamy on youtube, though. It's that kind of fart joke.

All in all, despite its imperfections, "G-Force" is a good, funny, family action comedy that the kids will like. I'm not a kid but I liked it. But, again, I'm a sucker for talking animal movies. I can't wait for the sequel.

So, good job Jerry Bruckheimer. Your first foray into the world of family movies is a success. It's not perfect, but it sure is fun.

See "G-Force." You'll have fun.

So what do we have here? Gratuitous Jerry Bruckheimer "tree and lighting" logo that runs over a hamster, gratuitous Zach Galifianakis, gratuitous Bill Nighy, gratuitous talking secret agent guinea pigs, gratuitous night vision goggles, guinea pigs using sophisticated scuba gear, a squirrel that doesn't talk, a slow motion wet guinea pig dance, a surveillance fly, gratuitous love triangle hooha, a fly attack, worm eating, gratuitous mole character working underground as a computer expert, a scary dog attack, gratuitous guinea pig video game playing, a Facebook page, gratuitous Will Arnett, a bank air tube escape, gratuitous hamster voiced by Steve Buscemi, major farting, gratuitous hooey in a pet shop involving a hungry snake and talking mice that believe and agree to everything, garbage truck hooey, gratuitous Harry the camera cockroach, a hidden trap door, lawn sprinkler hooey, a great rolling spare tire on the sidewalk sequence, gratuitous guinea pig stunt show involving a guinea pig driving a remote control car, a coffee machine that uses a toaster as a gun, a fabulous motorized triple exercise ball car chase with wild flip, gratuitous ground fireworks scene involving the theme from "Excalibur," a massive killer robot sequence, a surprise ending, and a fun little dance number at the end involving a guinea pig and a record mixing table.

Best lines: "Hey, I'm nine inches tall. I only see the upside," "Blaster, don't drop a pellet," "Good thing I took shop," "If he doesn't make it are you free Thursday night?," "Darwin, your butt's on fire," "Hang on, Speckles, we leave no rodent behind," "Do I look fat in this?," "There's no such thing as a stealth hamster!," "I've never seen so many fat animals in my life," "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," "You try to put a bow on me you'll lose a finger," "Oh my gosh! I look like Paris Hilton's Chihuahua!," "Wow, this woman's really abrasive," "I don't like it when my fly is down," "Eh, civilians," "Dogs! Why does it always have to be dogs?," "I'm pretty sure this is animal cruelty but I love it!," "I can't believe you're getting excited about cake," "Yippee kai yay coffee maker!," "Call for back up. Tell them we're chasing three guinea pigs in mobile spheres," and "Oh, man, it's packing a toaster!"

The 411: "G-Force" is a great family action comedy that, despite its glaring imperfections, is still plenty of fun. The kids should love it. As I said above, I can't wait for the sequel. What kind of mission will the G-Force take up next? Now, if you're not a fan of talking animal movies and family comedies in general, take off about three to four points. You just won't like it.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]