G-Force. 88 minutes. Rated PG. Directed by Hoyt Yeatman; Written by Cormac and Marianne Wibberley.
When a young Hoyt Yeatman Jnr (the Director's son) used to dress his pet guinea pig up in combat gear borrowed from his GI Joe doll, little did he know that this simple distraction would become the nucleus of an idea pitched to live-action uber-Producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Pirates of the Carribean).
The result is a dazzling tour de force of flawlessly combined live-action and computer-generated animation so entirely captivating that adults will adore it as much as the children do! Mr Bruckheimer (whose trademarks are excessively high stakes and cinematic wonderment), obviously threw everything he could at this fantastic idea about a special squad of highly-trained guinea pigs who are intent on preventing billionaire Leonard Saber (a perfect Bill Nighy) from realising his diabolical plan to rule the world by creating a global regime of networked electrical appliances. And yes, the "killer cappuccino" line is one of many peppered throughout the hilariously witty script that will be guaranteed to delight audiences of all ages.
From the spectacular opening sequence, when Darwin (perfectly voiced by Sam Rockwell) leads his crack team of special agents Blaster (Tracy Morgan), Juarez (Penelope Cruz) and computer expert mole Speckles (Nicholas Cage) on a mission to infiltrate Mr Saber's enviable mansion (there's always one of those!) to the explosive finale, the miniature world of high-tech gadgets and gizmos is both magnificently imagined and superbly realised.
While the storyline and characterisations might contribute to Hollywood's seemingly never-ending love affair with stereotypical characters in stereotypical situations, you can't take anything away from the spirited performances of the stellar cast and the extraordinary production values – resulting a film of great escapist entertainment value; complete with a punchy (and at times quite affecting) through-line about belonging, individuality and a modern notion of 'family'. And I guarantee you won't ever be able to look at a guinea pig in quite the same way again!
This review was commissioned by The Geraldton Guardian and published in the print edition.
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