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So as you know, I stopped writing lengthy reviews on this site this year, keeping the blog as more of a film diary of sorts.  Lo and behold,...

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Movie Review - G-Force 3D (2009)

Starring Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, and Zach Galifianakis
Featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Penélope Cruz, Jon Favreau, Tracy Morgan, and Steve Buscemi
Written by The Wibberleys
Directed by Hoyt Yeatman

What happens when your movie, which for the first 60 minutes is ridiculously dumb and can completely be summed up in a single sentence [FBI-trained guinea pigs try to stop an "evil villain" from taking over the world], throws you an ending out of left field that actually makes sense and somehow makes the movie end on a good note? How do you rate this movie which, while still insanely childish, actually created an intelligent ending?

And then, how do you rate the movie when its 3D aspects are the best 3D you've seen at your local cineplex? How much emphasis gets placed on the surprisingly good 3D effects?

That's the conundrum I'm in right now. G-Force isn't a good movie -- I think there were five "bathroom humor" jokes within the span of five minutes and nothing will turn me off of a movie quicker than ill-placed fart jokes. However, despite the fact that the ending was guessed by someone about 45 minutes in, the "twist" is actually pretty damn ingenious...especially for a kid's movie. While the nifty ending doesn't negate the rest of the awfulness, it certainly raises the bar a little bit.

Also, like I mentioned above, the 3D effects were actually quite good. Admittedly, we changed up our seating position for this 3D movie, choosing to sit in the front rather than in the back which may have made a significant impact in how the effects worked. That being said, the producers/directors decided to do something I hadn't seen in a 3D flick before...when you watch the movie, it's as if you're watching something in a widescreen format on your television. There are black bars at the top and bottom of the film. Periodically, throughout the movie, things will pop out above and below into the black bars, creating a 3D-ish effect. It actually worked really well and, in my opinion, was rather an ingenious way of creating the 3D effect. This is the first 3D movie I wouldn't have been disappointed in had I paid for it.

Still, despite the neat ending and good 3D, the flick was below average. Guinea pigs making pop culture references are not my idea of humor (Ha! That guinea pig made a Macguyver and Jamba Juice joke! Hilarity!). So, I still find myself in the conundrum of how to rate this. I'm going to go with the grade below because I truly did enjoy the ending and, like I said above, there's something to be said for this being the best 3D I've seen in a theatrical release yet.

The RyMickey Rating: C

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