G-Force

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Two time Oscar-winning visual effects artist Hoyt Yeatman makes his feature directorial debut with this Jerry Bruckheimer-produced family film following a group of highly trained guinea pigs on their mission to prevent an evil billionaire from taking over the world. Beginning in the Civil War -- when carrier pigeons delivered messages from the front lines -- the American government has been covertly training animals to work in espionage. The latest government program is a clandestine espionage team known as "G-Force," which includes a team of ultra-intelligent guinea pigs who share 98.7 percent of their DNA with humans. Comprised of unpredictable weapons expert Blaster (voice of Tracy Morgan), alluring martial arts expert Juarez (voice of Penelope Cruz), stealthy reconnaissance expert Mooch, and a star-nosed mole named Speckles (voice of Nicolas Cage), who specializes in computers, this crack team of agents is fronted by heroic squad leader Darwin (voice of Sam Rockwell). When a deranged billionaire hatches a plan to control the entire planet through common household appliances, the G-Force leaps into action on a mission to ensure that he does not succeed. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Nicolas Cage - Speckles
       Sam Rockwell - Darwin
       Jon Favreau - Hurley
       Penelope Cruz - Juarez
       Steve Buscemi - Bucky
       Tracy Morgan - Blaster
       Bill Nighy - Saber
       Will Arnett - Kip Killian
       Zach Galifianakis - Ben
       Kelli Garner - Marcie
       Tyler Patrick Jones - Connor
       Piper MacKenzie Harris - Penny
       Dee Bradley Baker - Mooch
       Niecy Nash - Rosalita
       Justin Mentell - Terrell
       Loudon Wainwright III - Grandpa Goodman
       Max Favreau - Mouse
       Hoyt Yeatman IV - Mouse
       Jack Conley - Agent Carter
       Gabriel Casseus - Agent Trigstad
       Michael Papajohn - FBI Techie
       Mini Anden - Saber's Assitant

• Director:

  Hoyt Yeatman

• Producer:

  Jerry Bruckheimer

• Screen Story:

  Hoyt Yeatman

• Screenwriter:

  Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley

• Screen Story:

  David P.I. James

• Cinematographer:

  Bojan Bazelli

• Composer (Music Score):

  Trevor Rabin

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Kathy Nelson

• Editor:

  Mark Goldblatt, Jason Hellmann

• Production Designer:

  Deborah Evans

• Executive Producer:

  Duncan Henderson, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson, David P.I. James

• Costume Designer:

  Ellen Mirojnick

• Casting:

  Ronna Kress

• Visual Effects Supervisor:

  Scott Stokdyk

REVIEW:

• Produced by action-meister Jerry Bruckheimer for Disney, G-Force has all the crazy chases and daredevil stunts of his typical films (National Treasure, Bad Boys, etc.), but they've been scaled down to be more kid-friendly. The setup involves a scientist (Zach Galifianakis), who has spent grant money from the Department of Homeland Security training animals into an elite special-forces unit. The trio of guinea pigs that form the heart of the crew consist of the leader, Darwin (voiced by Sam Rockwell); the flirty but tough Juarez (Penelope Cruz); and the fearless, crazy Blaster (a perfectly cast Tracy Morgan). All three work closely with a tech-whiz mole named Speckles (voiced by Bruckheimer regular Nicolas Cage). The team must stop a home appliance mogul (Bill Nighy) from turning his products into a robot army that will take over the world, all while they're being hunted by an FBI agent (Will Arnett) who wants the G-Force program shut down.
  
  As is often the case with Jerry Bruckheimer productions, the story is far less important than the spectacle, and while "spectacle" in one of his films usually means lots of explosions and cars flying through the air, G-Force is unique for having cute talking animals -- rather than muscle-bound alpha males -- leaping away in slow-motion from the fireballs. The action sequences aren't particularly memorable, but they're entirely competent and kids will certainly get a kick out of them. There's a paint-by-numbers moral about family that runs through the movie, but it's there more for parents than for anyone else -- children aren't going to expect (or want) to learn anything from a movie where a furry critter rides inside a remote-control car as it jumps over a line of toy trucks. Your ability to enjoy G-Force will correlate directly with how funny you find the idea of guinea pigs as action heroes, meaning the movie's core audience (and a handful of adults) will have a fun time, but it's going to seem awfully standard to parents who are more than familiar with the Bruckheimer formula. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi