gforce - half blood prince

G-FORCE: The idea of genetically engineered guinea pigs employed as superspies might seem like a crass rip-off of another recent rodent films’ success (“Aaaalll-viiiiiin!”), but if you lived through Disney’s live-action output in the ‘70s, it’s really not that out of line. There was The Cat from Outer Space, The Shaggy D.A., even Gus the football-kicking mule. All I’m saying is there’s a precedent for this sort of cutesy anthropomorphism. You don’t have to like it, but chances are your kids will. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, no expense was spared in creating all sort of hi-tech gadgets, weaponry and transportation to throw at the screen with the same level of quality as a National Treasure flick. The rodents themselves (voiced by Sam Rockwell, Penelope Cruz and Tracy Morgan) take offense to the “cute” label, staging a breakout from a local pet store after their first espionage operation goes bad. The one-liners are predictably awful, but the action is well-choreographed and sure to wow kids of the Nintendo DS generation. Disney’s Blu-ray has a few exclusive extras along with the usual deleted scenes, bloopers and plenty of kid-centric fun with the pint-sized pellet droppers. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE: As well-produced and faithful as they are to J.K. Rowling’s material, the Harry Potter films were getting a tad repetitive right up until this latest installment; like one of those Facebook friends who posts every time they open a jar of pickles. Woo hoo! Yay for you! Enough already! But finally, under the excellent direction of David Yates (also helming the two-part finale), Harry and his classmates at Hogwarts are allowed to grow up a bit. Even though Voldemort is still on the loose and Deatheaters like Draco Malfoy are plotting their typical insidious plots, the film’s focus remains on the romantic entanglements that are wreaking havoc on the hearts of our young heroes. Balancing this upswing in hormonal activity with the required “fantasy film” ingredients, Yates elevates Half Blood Prince above earlier entries in the series by pitting Harry and company against a threat even Muggles can understand: true love. That doesn’t mean the film forgets to show a little spectacle now and then...it just doesn’t use them as a crutch. Despite the PG rating, the Potter films are now officially a 13-year-old and up affair. Warner’s Blu-ray is a silky smooth presentation, incorporating the excellent Maximum Movie Mode as a means of navigating the extras (which include a quick look at Deathly Hallows) plus a standard DVD and digital copy.