I was recently able to take my four year-old niece with me to a pre-screening of 'Princess and the Frog.' My wife went out to get her some popcorn and the kids popcorn holders where emblazoned with the "stars" of 'G-Force.' Without saying a word, my niece looked at the pictures and just giggled.
What is it with kids, and their love of talking animal crap? I have no clue as to why a movie like 'G-Force,' with computer animated guinea pigs as super spies would appeal to anyone at all. Alas, kids love it and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
A top-secret government organization has figured out a way to translate animal voices so humans can understand. Although these translators seem to come in English-only versions, they are capable of presenting a cool and sexy (let us never remember that I used the adjective "sexy" to describe a guinea pig) Latina accent for the aptly named Juarez. Let's not delve too much into the language and accent discrepancies because essentially they are there so Penelope Cruz can be a voice.
I'm excited for the day when studios realize that kids couldn't care less who is voicing a movie, and parents have become far too cynical to accept a film just because a bunch of big names are providing the dialogue. Here we have names like Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Steve Buscemi, and Tracy Morgan; but all the kids really care about is if there's enough fart jokes to go around.
On the topic of fart jokes, there are enough to go around. While Disney can put out some great, heartfelt films, it can also let loose some stinkers designed for the sole purpose of appealing to the masses. 'G-Force' is one such film.
I haven't really discussed the plot to the movie, because there isn't much of one to discuss. The G-Force team is about out of money and is in danger of being cut off from federal funding altogether. When they botch a top-secret job that the Bureau has been working on for years it spells the end for the project. Unless, they can redeem themselves by fixing everything they ruined.
The film takes all the usual twists and turns that you would expect. Even the "surprise" ending less of a surprise, and more of a "yeah, saw that one coming."
In the end though, I think kids will love it. There's enough action to keep them entertained, enough potty humor to make them laugh, and enough bright lights and flashing things to keep their attention so their parents can do whatever parents do when their children are entranced by TV. It's a fine film for children to watch. Parents shouldn't be worried about any hidden content that shouldn't be in there. It's a dumb little comedy, but your kids will eat it up. Enough said.
The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats
The film comes in one of Disney's slightly oversized keepcases. It houses the movie, a DVD copy, and a digital copy.
Disney's 1080p/AVC-encoded 'G-Force' presentation is full of color and life. The CG animals look great. Not a bit of aliasing was detected on the fine strands of fur; although, the fur isn't as detailed as the fur on other CG animals like those of 'Ice Age 3'. Dark scenes and delineation work well, providing a very well-rounded and detailed picture. The picture is richly detailed. Facial details and textures are top-notch. Oversaturation is a problem at times during the film though. When you first see Will Arnett he looks as if he has spent the last five hours in a tanning bed. Oddly, enough after that first scene his skin tone looks natural for the rest of the film. Artifacting is kept at bay, except for the slight ringing issues that pop up once in a while. For the most part, the 'G-Force' video presentation is strong and detailed.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio presentation accompanying 'G-Force' is exactly what it has to be, and not much more. It cleanly presents a rumbling good romp of a kid's action movie with clarity. LFE is present, but it isn't overwhelming, even during car crashes and robot attacks. Kids don't need thumping bass to enjoy a movie. Panning effects like motorized guinea pig balls (that doesn't sound right at all) zoom on and off screen trying to evade the special agents chasing them. Dialogue is very clear and will be easy for the children to hear and pay attention to. The surrounds are fairly busy with ambient sound such as scurrying cockroaches and marauding household appliances out for revenge.
You want fast-talking, joke-cracking, world-saving guinea pigs? You got them. You want an electronic babysitter? You got that too. Know this, 'G-Force' will certainly entertain the kids just fine, but you'll be much better off leaving your kids with something from the Pixar collection than with this pile of hooey.
Portions of this review also appear in our coverage of Dunkirk on Blu-ray. This post features unique Vital Disc Stats, Video, and Final Thoughts sections.
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