G-Force Parent Guide

Size doesn’t seem to matter to the guinea pigs that make up the covert government agency known as G-Force. Juarez (voice by Penélope Cruz), Darwin (voice by Sam Rockwell) and Blaster (voice by Tracy Morgan) may be small, but they’re still a power to be reckoned with when it comes to covert operations.

However, like many other federal agencies, their funding is about to be cut. Without it, they will be forced to shut down before uncovering the criminal activities behind Leonard Saber’s (Bill Nighy) household appliance empire. The night before their project’s termination, they launch an unauthorized mission into Saber’s mansion and steal a computer file outlining his plans for world domination. They hope the information will help save their program. But when the guinea pigs’ boss Ben (Zach Galifianakis) tries to open the file for FBI Agents Killian (Will Arnett), Trigstad (Gabriel Casseus) and Carter (Jack Conley), they discover it has been infected with a computer virus.

Without any positive evidence against the suspicious industrialist, the FBI slaps a closed sign on the animal experimentation operation and the rodents soon finds themselves incarcerated in a pet store cage with a hairy, flatulence-plagued pig (voice by Jon Favreau) and psychotic hamster (voice by Steve Buscemi). Refusing to burrow into the wood chips while Saber initiates his villainous plot, the furry agents and their mole friend Speckles (voice by Nicolas Cage) design an escape plan and arrange to rendezvous at Ben’s address.

Their adventures outside of the pet shop though might be too intense for young viewers. Along with scenes straight from an action flick (car chases, breaking plate glass windows and the threat of being crushed), these rodents are attacked by automated machines with whirling blades and other deadly appendages. They are also subjected to actions that could easily be imitated by children. Feigning interest in the pigs, a young customer in the pet store picks up one of the critters and then intentionally throws him into a cage with a hungry snake. Another is put behind the wheel of a remote control car and driven at high speeds through an obstacle course and over a jump. While children aren’t involved with the following depiction, a rodent finds himself locked inside a microwave oven where he is about to be cooked. During their undercover operations, the tiny squad also faces frequent moments of peril involving attack dogs, detonated explosives, exterminators and armed agents intent on hunting down the escapees.

Yet for children comfortable with these types of action-packed escapades, G-Force offers some more thoughtful moments, particularly after the guinea pig project is abandoned. Believing in the importance of their mission and trusting in one another, these clever critters stay the course despite some disappointing setbacks. And although the script may sometimes be a bit predictable, this film has enough heart and corny jokes to be engaging from the first frame to the final clip.

About author

Kerry Bennett

Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for over 15 years. As a parent herself, she believes parents play a powerful role in teaching media literacy in their homes.