G-Force 3D

A top-secret specially trained squad of three Guinea pig super spies is dispatched to stop a diabolical billionaire from taking over the world. Squad leader Darwin (voiced by Rockwell) will do what it takes to guarantee the success of his team, which also includes Blaster (voiced by Morgan), an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude, and Juarez (voiced by Cruz), a gorgeous martial arts pro. With the help of Speckels (Cage), a star-nosed mole, and other members of the animal kingdom, the G-Force tries to derail evil appliance mogul Leonard Saber's (Nighy) power grab. It helps when your fly-on-the wall reconnaissance expert is, well, a fly on the wall! (Gary Reber)

Special features include Cine-Explore with Darwin, Blaster, and their Creator, Director Yeatman, as they reveal the secrets behind G-Force covert operations and the groundbreaking computer graphic work that brought this elite team of Guinea pigs to life (while you watch the movie); the featurette "Blaster's Boot Camp" (HD 04:41) in which you experience a high-energy, high-tech orientation video hosted by Blaster, training you to be the G-Force's newest recruit; the featurette "G-Force Mastermind" (HD 04:13), in which Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and CG Wiz, Director Yeatman reveal the true inspiration behind this adventure; the featurette "Bruckheimer Animated" (HD 03:12), which is a retrospective of the producer's groundbreaking CG work and a top secret peek into the G-Force lab; a tour of the high-security facility to show how the G-Force was animated from initial sketches to completed performances in "Access Granted: Inside The Animation Lab" (HD 07:52); bloopers (HD 01:49); six incomplete deleted scenes (HD 06:17); three music videos featuring Nelly Furtado and Steve Rushton (HD 08:24); BD-Live functionality; D-BOX® Motion Code™; sneak peeks; and up-front ads. The three-disc set includes the 3-D Blu-ray, the BD, and the DVD.

While exhibited theatrically in Disney Digital 3D in D-Cinema theatres, the non-3-D version in spherical format at a 1.85:1 aspect ratio was reviewed in Issue 144. The CGI 2.40:1 1080p AVC picture was dramatic visually, with excellent contrast and shadow delineation. Blacks were deep and solid. Many scenes were extremely dark, and optimally the movie should be viewed in a darkened, or preferably black environment, using a display capable of superb native contrast ratio resolution. The color palette was fully saturated with deep, rich, and vibrant hues. Fleshtones were perfectly natural throughout. The animated pigs were finely resolved and appeared remarkably natural and real. Resolution was finely rendered, with excellent exposure of fine facial features (and fur) and object textures. The imagery, shot for 3-D exhibition, was impressively dimensional. The new native 1080p MVC 3-D release crafted by Sony Pictures ImageWorks 3D is every bit as favorable in terms of picture quality attributes, with the superb added dimension of 3D. This is a highly dimensional picture, with aggressive negative parallax sequences that jump out from the screen in natural and convincing depth perspective. The hyper out-of-screen shenanigans really enhances the fun of following Darwin and his fellow guinea pig agents through all sorts of complex environments that are rendered with dramatic depth and perspective. People, guinea pigs, and objects display good volumetric perspective that is convincing. The 3-D execution is absolutely innovative and imaginative, especially with respect to the pop-out 3-D effects, which often look amazing, such as the storefront glass window scene. This is great 3D, and the picture is virtually free of objectionable crosstalk ghosting and other artifacts. This is a visually enthralling 3-D experience that will fascinate the visual senses. (Gary Reber)

This is the same soundtrack as was reviewed previously. The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is nicely produced, though, the ADR dialogue production does not always integrate with the scenes spatially. Dialogue sounds slightly forward, though, always intelligible. Sound effects, atmospheric effects, and Foley, combined with the music score, provide an engaging holosonic® directionalized surround experience. Bass extension is, at times, deep and powerful, with energy in the below-25 Hz range in the .1 LFE channel. The music score is recorded with a wide and deep soundstage presence that wraps well into the surrounds and provides an aggressive presence. The soundtrack is extremely active in numerous scenes and delivers an exciting sonic experience that is sure to please the entire family. The D-BOX Motion Code™ enhancement is a real added treat and effectively heightens the excitement. (Gary Reber)