The titular G-Force are three highly trained guinea pigs (and one mole, voiced by Nicholas Cage!) who have been raised by Ben (Zach Galifianakis) to go where no human can go. In an attempt to prove their worth, Ben sends the team in to steal plans from an ambitious household appliance magnate (Bill Nighy, is there anything you won't do?) but of course it all goes wrong. Disgraced and stuck in a pet store, G-Force captain Darwin (Sam Rockwell) must lead teammates Juarez (Penélope Cruz), Blaster (Tracey Morgan) and newfound friend Hurley (Jon Favreau) back to freedom and undo the nefarious plans that lurk in the toasters of the world.

This reviewer may be getting soft, but G-Force is one hell of a lot of fun. Producer Bruckheimer and debut director Hoyt Yeatman throw absolutely every action cliché in the book at this picture - and for once they all seem to work. Disney draws heavily from its own canon, as the 'deluded animals in the real world' elements of this film can also be found in recent adventures such as Bolt, which itself is derivative of the Toy Story films.  However, instead of simply treading over old ground, a very knowing script from writing duo Marianne and Cormac Wibberley (National Treasure) regularly winks at the audience, and never lets the action stop for a moment. There is no doubt that uncredited scribes Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin, Shrek) left their mark in the dialogue, with such gems as "Son, if you ever get the chance to bring mankind to its knees, do it!". The presence of Arrested Development star Will Arnett and recent The Hangover star Galifianakis leaves us with the suspicion that this was not entirely aimed at kids.

Indeed, it is some of the darker elements that may keep this from being fun for the whole family. Apparent deaths, action sequences, scary scenes for the little ones and some very knowing gags will ensure that the really small kids will be hiding behind the couch. It was that kind of year for Disney after all. For the older members of the audience, this makes the film all the more fun. When you break it down, there is not much separating this from the average action blockbusters that grace the silver screens every year, except the stars are much cuter and we've already checked our disbelief at the door. It is a rare moment to find yourself perched on the edge of the couch, fearful of the fate of a rodent.

While the guinea pigs never look photorealistic, one never disbelieves them for a moment thanks to a terrific voice cast that will no doubt leave you rewinding the credits to double-check that cast list. The unlikely choice of Sam Rockwell as an animated lead gives weight to the role, while veteran character actors Steve Buscemi and Jon Favreau add just the right mix of pathos and comedy to proceedings. In this way, G-Force uses its absolutely ridiculous premise to draw the audience further into the story, rather than alienating them from it. It's Disney magic, after all!

This single-disc release packs a few surprising bonuses on here. If you choose to skip the Disney FastPlay feature, you'll find an Audio Commentary. The rest of the disc has a few flimsy featurettes. Buster's Boot Camp (4:41) is a bit of an animated visual dictionary companion to the film, while G-Force Mastermind (4:12) reveals that Jerry Bruckheimer is a wanker (shock!) and Hoyt Yeatman's son (Hoyt Yeatman IV) came up with the idea for the film (horror!). There are also some G-Farce Bloopers (1:48) and a collection of 6 deleted scenes.

Those that choose to pick up the Blu-ray will find a stack of additional extras including a CINE-EXPLORE - Branching Pods feature; Bruckheimer Animated and Access Granted: Inside The Animation Lab. It also comes with a copy of this DVD.

It came as quite a shock to me that I enjoyed this. I was all prepared to groan and roll my eyes at the cringeworthy antics of rodents, but what I found instead was a decent action film with heavy doses of clever dialogue. Darker elements may make this unsuitable for the really small children in the room, but for everyone else this is a harmless action-adventure for the young at heart and regulars of LOLCats. Guinea pigs who know how to kick butt: can you think of anything better than that?

A fine transfer shows DVD off at its peak, but serious fans will definitely want to pick up the Blu-ray disc for the additional bonus features and superior transfer.