G-Force (2009): That’s Mr. Yanshu to You [Joey’s Review]
As much as I thought I liked THE ANT BULLY, it turns out that G-FORCE is everything I’ve ever wanted in an animated Cage movie. Technically, calling it an animated movie isn’t accurate, though; it’s mostly live-action with a slew of CGI animals (as undercover FBI agents, naturally) added in. The real world features actors like Zach Galifianakis and Will Arnett, while the CGI world features actors like Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, and Tracy Morgan.
Cage’s character in G-Force, Speckles, seems like Charlie Bodell (from PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED) reincarnated. While we lamented the fact that Cage used his normal voice in both CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE MOVIE and The Ant Bully, he goes all out in this one, using a voice very similar to that of Charlie Bodell: nasally, crazy, and wonderful. It’s beautifully insane — and fitting!
Speckles is a mole — both literally and metaphorically! As a mole, he’s less physically gifted than his guinea pig cohorts, which is why he recedes into a role much like the Riley character from NATIONAL TREASURE — he uses his computer skills to ensure the rest of his team gets where it needs to go without setting off alarms. As a computer whiz, he’s his team’s biggest strength — and his team’s biggest enemy!
You see, Speckles doubles as the mysterious “Mr. Yanshu,” who has secretly been plotting to exterminate all of mankind in retaliation for the genocide his family faced when they were killed/driven off a golf course. This is a pretty legitimate twist in the film, and while G-Force doesn’t really let it sit long enough to make Speckles a true villain, it’s a pretty big gut punch … especially after his “death” inspired the team to carry out their goal in his memory.
“Not the cage! I don’t do cages!”
G-Force comes at a very strange time in Cage’s career, at least on a small scale. We’ve talked/written about how this is the point in Cage’s career where he’s been doing a lot of family films that his kid(s) can watch, so it makes sense there. But G-Force and ASTRO BOY form a family-friendly sandwich around the antithesis of that in BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS, which comes up next.
Kids movie! TREMENDOUSLY DARK FILM. Kids movie! Seems totally normal to me!
How can I watch it? You’ll need to pony up a couple bucks to rent this one. Definitely worth it if you have kids. If you don’t… still maybe worth it! Cage’s voice in this is worth a few bucks for sure.
What’s up next? We’re heading to post-Katrina New Orleans in BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS!
