Monday, August 31, 2009

Movie review: 'G-Force'

"G-Force" has been billed as producer Jerry Bruckheimer's first foray into animation, which suggests his live-action films contain something resembling "reality" and "humans."

Shrinking Bruckheimer's usual visual-effects mayhem down to rodent size, "G-Force" is centered on a elite squad of guinea pigs who resemble small(er) versions of Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible."

The guinea pigs are voiced by Sam Rockwell (Darwin), Tracy Morgan (Blaster) and Penelope Cruz (Juarez). Nicolas Cage, doing the finest voice-over work in the movie, plays Speckles, a computer specialist mole.


They are collectively (along with a voice-less, camera-wielding fly) under the tutelage of G-Force's creator, Ben. (Only the little critters are animated.) He's played by the usually unconventional comedian Zach Galifianakis ("The Hangover").

Ben's pipsqueak task force is quickly shut down by FBI special agent Kip Killian, played by Will Arnett. The group nevertheless rallies to help uncover the duplicitous dealings of industrialist Leonard Saber (Bill Nighy), whose big plans for world domination include evil coffee makers . But you don't come to see "G-Force" for the intrigue; you come for the talking guinea pigs.

If "G-Force" has a cousin, it isn't "Ratatouille" (not by a long shot), but "Alvin and the Chipmunks," the 2007 film that also married live action with furry, animated clichés. "G-Force" ultimately reveals itself as no more than a pest. In one scene, the fly zooms up Nighy's nose, which is something like the sensation of watching this talking guinea pig movie in 3-D.

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