November 18, 2009 -- The unlikely pairing of action producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“National Treasure,” “Black Hawk Down,” etc.) and Disney studios results in a mixed live action and animated feature with jokes, slapstick comedy and lots of action. It is suitable for kids, and parents won't have to suffer much if they accompany the kids.

The story centers on Ben (played by Zach Galifianakis of “The Hangover”), head of a bizarre offshoot of the FBI called G-Force. Ben, aided by his faithful assistant Marci (Kelli Garner of “Lars and the Real Girl”), have a team of Guinea Pigs, a mole, a housefly and other insects which can infiltrate secure locations and perform a variety of surveillance and covert chores. Those higher up in the FBI are understandably skeptical about Ben's claims, and they decide to shut his operation down, but not before his team infiltrates the home of industrialist Leonard Saber who is suspected of selling classified technology to the Chinese government. G-Force learns that the Saber is up to something far more dangerous than selling weapons technology. He has launched a plan which could threaten the world. G-Force is the only unit capable of stopping this threat, but most of the team has been locked up or sent to pet shops or private homes as pets. The animals have to escape the pet shop, private owners, a garbage truck, and various other obstacles before they can resume their mission to save the world.

The main animal characters are three guinea pigs, squad leader Darwin, weapons expert Blaster and the sexy female martial arts expert Juarez. They are joined by the housefly Mooch, an expert in aerial reconnaissance, and the team's computer expert, Speckles, a star-nosed mole, along with a horde of cockroaches. Later in the film, another Guinea pig, Hurley, reluctantly joins the team. A hamster who is part ferret, Bucky, also has a role in the film. All of these characters, except for the insects, talk, and can be understood by humans with the proper equipment, designed by Ben. Even the insects can communicate and follow instructions. Darwin, Juarez, Hurley and Speckles all have fairly distinct personalities. The voices are all provided by famous actors, although that is just a marketing ploy which happens to make it tougher for voice actor specialists to find work in Hollywood.

This is not exactly a character-driven story, but the film does establish some computer-animated characters and the story does play off their personalities. The human characters, except for Ben, are caricatures, acting in very broad comic overtones. The story has a few vague messages about believing yourself and that anyone, no matter how small, can be a hero. This is a pleasant little movie with a few good comic bits and some interesting action scenes. It is shown in 3D in theaters which have the right kind of projection equipment. I saw it in 2D at a second-run theater. It probably would be more impressive in 3D. This film rates a C+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2009 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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