G-Force

Disney’s latest live action/CGI family entry, “G-Force,” begins with a trio of “highly trained, genetically engineered” guinea pigs on a mission to raid a suspect’s files and discover what his plans really are.

The guinea pigs led by Darwin (Sam Rockwell) include Blaster (Tracy Morgan), a wise-cracking Latina (Penelope Cruz) and a mole in the role of tech support named Speckles (Nicolas Cage).

We witness the team’s covert entry and escape out of Saber’s (Bill Nighy) estate on the eve of his secret operation’s launch. Soon after successfully completing the mission, their owner/trainer Ben (Zach Galifianakis) gets in trouble with the FBI running the Saber investigation when the stolen information appears to be worthless. G-Force must be shut down, and all evidence of this failed FBI effort must be erased.

The team finds themselves in a pet shop where Darwin finds what may be his long lost brother Hurley (Jon Favreau) and begin immediately to plan their escape, reconnect with Ben and learn the truth about Saber’s operation before it’s too late.

Objectionable

Minor—At one point Juarez, the female, says, “You know you can have me,” and in another scene she sensuously emerges from the water, ala a “Bond girl,” but, as they are guinea pigs, this could hardly be considered as anything but comical.

Potty humor, though frequent, is not blatant for younger minds. The leader, Darwin, is named thus as yet another of Hollywood’s endless tips of the hat to the founder of the unproven, and often contradicted, theory of evolution.

First time director, Hoyt Yeatman, pays homage to numerous action films with both scenes and dialogue echoing “Transformers,” James Bond, “Die Hard” and “Scarface,” among others. The attempt, no doubt, is to entertain adults in a film otherwise for kids. He partially succeeds. Like the scenes mentioned earlier, some of the movie lines used, when taken out of the context of the originating films, were played just for laughs and frequently earned them.

There is a death that takes place off-screen, but the film does not overly dwell upon it.

Lessons

The darkest theme the movie espoused is that of vengeance. The sole motive behind the villain’s plans for “world domination/destruction” is revenge. The Word of God teaches us that this role is to be handled by God alone: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay” (Deuteronomy 32:35) and is echoed when God tells us “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge… but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18).

The villain has become a victim of his own hate. The Word teaches us to expect that very result when it says “…for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2 Peter 2:19).

The film portrays positively the theme of redemption. It is never too late to right a wrong, and we are charged, as humans not guinea pigs, to do this for our own sakes. “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14).

Disney did a great job with the 3D visuals of the film. The depth of the film is always noticeable, and scenes are incorporated that take full advantage of the medium.

The net result is, you have a team of guinea pigs, insects and humans that you realize have come to form not only close friendships but a family.

Overall, the morals of the story are positive ones, but the laughs are not as consistent as this reviewer would have liked, and the unfolding plot and action scenes seem too reminiscent of other movies. Naturally, kids will not see the movie in the same way. A “must see” film for the younger audience it was intended for, I would recommend parents and their kids seeing this in theaters and especially in 3D.

Violence: Moderate / Profanity: None / Sex/Nudity: None

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