G-Force
What does it take to beat Harry Potter? Anamatronic 3-D guinea pigs kitted out like a high-tech spy squad, that's what.
Such is the genius of G-Force, the latest conceit from uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer – he of Pirates of the Caribbean fame. Not that the movie will do Potterish business in the long term, but it has toppled Harry from his perch at the head of the US box office this week – the sort of eventuality that should stop Daniel Radcliffe from getting too big for his boots.
Cast details
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Nicolas Cage
Born: 07 Jan 1964
Long Beach, CaliforniaTop rated films View all Rock, The - BLU-RAY Version (1996) 
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G-Force is a secret FBI unit in the animal division (another project involves hordes of cockroaches… wonder if they’ll get their own spin-off movie?). The guinea pigs stand up on two legs, can communicate with humans, and have been trained to use the kind of gizmos normally restricted to James Bond. They’re also about to be terminated – not by the Osama’s crew, but that old standby, government cut backs.
They have just one chance to prove their value. They must infiltrate the heavily guarded home of electronics tycoon Saber (Bill Nighy) and access his files to find out what nefarious plan “Clusterstorm” might be.
Written by Cormac and Marianne Wibberley (National Treasure), G-Force may be aimed at the under-12s, but in attitude it’s closer to Transformers than Wind in the Willows. As someone who stubbornly believes Transformers should rightfully be aimed at the pre-teen set, I don’t object. But it’s a pity that there isn’t more humour and playfulness – where’s Joe Dante when you need him?
Like other CGI animal pictures (Garfield; Underdog), gains in physical dexterity have to be balanced by a drastic loss in charm. Lassie may have been relatively limited in her combat skills, but we loved her all the more.
G Force
Director Hoyt Yeatman emphasises action thrills and spills in the patented Bruckheimer fashion – and – let’s be honest – he does put together some well constructed set pieces. The climax, especially, benefits from Bruckheimer’s congenital extravagance – and it’s fun to see a movie where the scariest villain is a coffee machine.
Among the voice cast, Sam Rockwell is the heroic Darwin and Penelope Cruz has some spunk as the comely Juarez, but the standout is the mole, Speckles, voiced by… well, I didn’t recognise him until the end credits came up, so I won’t spoil the tease, but it’s a fine performance by one of our most reliably eccentric actors. The live action performers are by and large upstaged. Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) has little to offer as the team’s human cheerleader, but Bill Nighy is always watchable.
Sad to say my four-year-old’s only complaint was that – contrary to the marketing campaign – the guinea pigs didn’t have guns. So you might want to let the little ones down gently on that one. But the ten-year-old thought it was “awesome”. Horses for courses, and guinea pigs for kids.
Reviews
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Critics' reviews
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Mission: Impossible and Short Circuit meet Babe in this passable CGI-enhanced live-action kiddie... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful members' reviews (3)
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23 out of 24 people found this review helpful
gd film
i think this film is so funny, with the cast so good makes this film brilliant. I would def watch it again
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6 out of 7 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
superb....................
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Zzzzz-Force!
What a pedestrian,tedious excuse for a summer blockbuster this is. If you can see it in 3-D don't bother paying the extra as the effects are very underwhelming. 'Bolt' or 'Coraline' were both excellent in this regard. Equally un impressive are the script,story and preformanaces. Bill Nighy (unusually) turns in a performance where he barely seems awake or interested it is so lacking in character or passion. The vocal talents are completely forgettable, Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz are mediocre and unengaging, Steve Buscemi gives it some brio but overall the story is turgid and lame. 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' was cute, funny and with an engaging story. This is a no-brain, glossy, expensive turkey.
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Most recent members' reviews (2)
View all -
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Zzzzz-Force!
What a pedestrian,tedious excuse for a summer blockbuster this is. If you can see it in 3-D don't bother paying the extra as the effects are very underwhelming. 'Bolt' or 'Coraline' were both excellent in this regard. Equally un impressive are the script,story and preformanaces. Bill Nighy (unusually) turns in a performance where he barely seems awake or interested it is so lacking in character or passion. The vocal talents are completely forgettable, Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz are mediocre and unengaging, Steve Buscemi gives it some brio but overall the story is turgid and lame. 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' was cute, funny and with an engaging story. This is a no-brain, glossy, expensive turkey.
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23 out of 24 people found this review helpful
gd film
i think this film is so funny, with the cast so good makes this film brilliant. I would def watch it again
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23 out of 24 people found this review helpful
gd film
i think this film is so funny, with the cast so good makes this film brilliant. I would def watch it again
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6 out of 7 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
superb....................
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Zzzzz-Force!
What a pedestrian,tedious excuse for a summer blockbuster this is. If you can see it in 3-D don't bother paying the extra as the effects are very underwhelming. 'Bolt' or 'Coraline' were both excellent in this regard. Equally un impressive are the script,story and preformanaces. Bill Nighy (unusually) turns in a performance where he barely seems awake or interested it is so lacking in character or passion. The vocal talents are completely forgettable, Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz are mediocre and unengaging, Steve Buscemi gives it some brio but overall the story is turgid and lame. 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' was cute, funny and with an engaging story. This is a no-brain, glossy, expensive turkey.
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Dissapointing! Would only watch this in 3D
I took my younger cousins to the cinema to go and see this the other day in 3D which was a brilliant experience.
Ive never seen a film in 3D before so watching this in the cinema was great, the quality was also brillait and wasn't blurry!
After we had come out the cinema, i thought what the film would have been like if it wasn't in 3D. Without the whole 3D experience it would have been quite boring and you would have lost patience with it very quickly.
Its about some 'genetically enginereed' guniea-pigs who are like spy's and what happens to them when they are put into a pet-shop and escape etc.
I wouldn't bother with this film if you are going to see it in 2D but i would definitely see it if it is in 3D!! -
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
GREAT
Great family film ! As a guinea pig owner 'FANTASTIC'
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[Highly rated reviewer]
My Kids Loved It
No Spoilers,No Review.....Just what i said above....My 5 & half and 4yr old absolutely loved it.4 out of 5..
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[Highly rated reviewer]
g-force
yes we liked this one an all round family film
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- bratz from Kidderminster
- Posted 02 Dec 2009 21:01
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0 out of 1 person found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
g force
i just gave this the same stars it had,because my little boy went on holiday and didnt see this movie,and im not going to watch it,i need to rent it again because hes wanting to see it,he says it looks good
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- rababab from Glasgow
- Posted 05 Dec 2009 18:57
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Critics' reviews
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Mission: Impossible and Short Circuit meet Babe in this passable CGI-enhanced live-action kiddie... read more on Time Out