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July 2009 Reviews By Shawn McKenzie 7/24/2009 Here are my reviews of the movies that were released in July of 2009. Check back later as the month progresses for more reviews. Go directly to my review of G-Force. For several decades, the U.S. Government has used animals, like dolphins and monkeys, to help them for covert operatives in a way that humans couldn’t. FBI operative scientist Ben Kendall (Zach Galifianakis) and his assistant, Marcie (Kelli Garner), have developed a way to communicate with (using computer chips that allow them to speak English) and train a team of animals, unofficially known as G-Force, to serve the Department of Homeland Security. A guinea pig named Darwin (voice of Sam Rockwell) leads the team, and two other guinea pigs…weapons expert Blaster (voice of Tracy Morgan) and martial arts specialist Juarez (voice of Penélope Cruz)…join him on the missions. Also on the team is aerial recon housefly Mooch (voice of Dee Bradley Baker), and near-sighted mole computer expert Speckles (voice of Nicolas Cage.) Their first mission is to infiltrate the headquarters of former arms dealer-turned-consumer electronics CEO Leonard Saber (Bill Nighy.) He’s been equipping all of his products with chips that will soon communicate with each other, creating a strong robot army that they find out is named Project Clusterstorm. Unfortunately, the intel they retrieve to prove that Saber is planning world domination is decoded as plans for a cappuccino machine, so new FBI task force director Kip Killian (Will Arnett) shuts down the G-Force operation. The team escapes, but they end up accidentally captured and taken to a pet shop owned by Rosalita (Niecy Nash) and run by Terrell (Justin Mentell.) They meet an angry hamster named Bucky (voice of Steve Buscemi) who thinks that he runs the pet shop, and a fat, lazy guinea pig named Hurley (voice of Jon Favreau) who wants a family to adopt him. Connor (Tyler Patrick Jones) adopts Blaster while his little sister Penny (Piper Mackenzie Harris) adopts Juarez, and their Grandpa Goodman (Loudon Wainwright III) pays for them. The rest of the team escapes (unintentionally bringing Hurley along with them) and to tries to stop Saber’s global network from becoming activated, but Killian’s agents Trigstad (Gabriel Casseus) and Carter (Jack Conley) are hot on their trail to find them. With all of these kiddie movies getting the 3-D treatment lately, you know that Jerry Bruckheimer had to get his fingers in it. The result is non-stop action like you would expect from a Bruckheimer production, but since it’s a Disney flick, it’s very appropriate for kids. Since he knows how to entertain, the parents won’t have a problem at all taking their kids to see it. Most of the actors (whether they are live action or vocal) play their parts well (Morgan plays a PG-rated version of his usual crazy self), but two actors play against type. Galifianakis, the weirdo from this year’s blockbuster comedy The Hangover and last year’s What Happens in Vegas, tones down his shtick significantly for the role, and Cage’s voice is almost unrecognizable (actually…he sounds like the nerdy teenager he played in the 1986 movie Peggy Sue Got Married.) The ending has a twist I really didn’t see coming (I obviously won’t spoil it for you.) Until G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra rolls around, this is the action flick that you should check out (and yes…the 3-D version is worth the extra price.)
Ratings System:
SEE THIS MOVIE!
Catch this movie at the theater if you can...
Wait until it comes out on video...
Wait until it plays on HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc...
Demand your money back, even if you saw it for free! |
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