I’m really glad that Sam Rockwell’s character Darwin utters this line in the new computer animated Disney film G-Force, because the other idea I had in mind for a title for this review was what I think is a clever play off of the title of Revenge of the Nerds, but that of course would have given away the whole ending. You’ll know what I mean when you get to the end of the movie, which I recommend that you go see, but only if you’ve already seen Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Public Enemies, Up, The Ugly Truth, Orphan, The Hangover, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and The Proposal, like I have, or if you’re too young to see any of them. Oh and don’t forget to go see Moon, too. But you can skip Bruno, however, regardless of your age. Trust me.

It wasn’t with high expectations that I went to see G-Force, even though with Up and Ice Age 3 and the upcoming 9, this has been a pretty good year for the animated film. G-Force is a cute, light-hearted romp that – well, that’s actually the best way that I can think to describe it. Those four words – cute, light-hearted romp. It’s fun and entertaining and if you decide to watch it (and if I can toot my own horn for a second here), you’ll discover how truly insightful and accurate those four words are. I should be getting paid for this!

So here is the plot in exactly 100 words – A team of genetically altered guinea pigs has been turned by a secret government experiment into a highly trained team of crack secret agents. An evil billionaire named Saber, owner of Saber Industries, has been manufacturing small home appliances with suspicious, weapons-grade micro-chips built into them, which he intends to activate in 48 hours to create “one big family” of home appliances. One of those “your refrigerator can tell your computer you need milk” things, but our heroes suspect something much more sinister. Like global extermination. Will the rodents be able to save mankind, even after losing their federal funding?

Clearly, the movie is geared toward a much younger audience than the animated films that I tend to find the most impressive, like Up and WALL-E. But despite the younger target audience, the entertainment level is still high enough to keep you interested, and the cast are clearly having a great time with their roles, whether they’re appearing in the film or only voicing one of the characters.Of particular note, of course, is Nicolas Cage, who does the voice of one of the main characters and whose own children couldn’t even recognize his voice when they saw the movie.

The G-Force team consists of Darwin, the leader (Sam Rockwell), Juarez (the bizarrely sexual female presence smokily voiced by Penelope Cruz), and Spreckles the mole (Nicolas Cage). Along the way, they team up with Darwin’s long-lost brother Hurley (Jon Favreau), who grew up not in a lab but in a pet store, and Hurley’s freakishly neurotic cagemate Bucky (Steve Buscemi, of course).

Still not really sure what to think about that nose...

Providing good-natured live action performances are Bill Nighy as Saber, Zach Galifianakis as Ben, the scientist in charge of the G-Force project, Will Arnett, an FBI agent unimpressed by talking guinea pigs, and Kelli Garner, a veterinarian who strangely spends at least 60% of the movie with the open-mouthed stare of a befuddled blonde. They really screwed up the writing of her role. Oh well.

It’s easy to sit back and relax and have a good time with the movie, which is probably the biggest compliment that I can give it, but it’s sufficient. The animation is outstanding despite the evil appliances looking exactly like Transformers and there are even some impressive plot twists in the movie that will leave you with at least one moment that approaches real, unexpected surprise. There is a feeling that the movie tries to do too much with the smallness of its overall concept (pun intended), delving too deeply into the characters’ psyches when we really just want to see more of things like the covert operation that opens the movie and the exhilarating car/hamster-ball chase. If you happen to see the movie in 3-D, which I didn’t, I’m willing to bet these scenes will be pretty incredible.

The script is top-heavy, with too much time spent developing three-dimensional backgrounds (Juarez has a Facebook page and gleefully manipulates the amorous interests of two of her costars, and Darwin has major emotional issues, for example) for characters that are, secret agents or not, still rodents. The psychological depth leaves a strange feeling when the rest of the movie is so clearly made for the kids, and there is also a noticeable lack of stand-out characters. But if you find yourself in a situation where you need to entertain some kids for a while, your own or someone else’s, G-Force is a harmless diversion that you may very well find yourself enjoying as well.

The Bean Meter

3 Beans out of 5.

Darwin on the move.