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Garfield's Pet Force

Name: Garfield's Pet Force
Item: Garfield's Pet Force
Rating: 1
Author: Joly Herman

Movie review by

Joly Herman, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 7+

(i)

Iffy messages and guns make this a good one to skip.

G
2009
78 minutes

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Parents say

age 6+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 6+

Based on 8 reviews

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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Educational Value

Positive Messages

Let's see, besides the gun play, the food obsession, and the sexual innuendo, what other substandard messages are there? Oh, how about that no one is safe from aliens taking over the universe at any given time? And that people will take advantage of nice guys like the Emperor of Dorkon just for their own gain?

Positive Role Models & Representations

The character who saves the universe is a lazy, gluttonous, sarcastic cat. Rude behavior (farting and belching) is played for laughs.

Violence & Scariness

A big laser gun dominates the plot of the movie. Vetvix wields it to turn people into scary and weird zombies, and Garfield uses it to reverse the spell. The zombies look strange and may be scary for young kids. Also, there's destruction of homes and buildings by a big monster.

Sexy Stuff

Women are objectified subtly and not-so-subtly. All females have shapely bodies dressed in clingy clothing. Betty has a huge bosom, which makes her appetite for Garzooka even more suggestive. Multiple kisses at the end of the movie. Women jump on male characters and kiss them.

Language

"You idiot," "this sucks," and the like.

Consumerism

Garfield, consume? Heck yes, a whole package of hot dogs, lemonade, anything he can get his hands on.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

In order to become the Pet Force, Nermal, Arlene, and Odie have to drink a potion, which gives them special powers.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Garfield is thrown into the role of action hero when an alien invader turns his world upside down. The alien and Garfield both shoot a gigantic laser gun that turns normal people into zombies. Younger viewers might be frightened by the weird zombies and the destruction of the peaceful town. Adults might wonder why the Garfield franchise decided to make a lazy cat into a gun-toting action hero. There's also some rude behavior, name calling, and sexual innuendos.

User Reviews

Parents say
Kids say

Parent of a 13 year old Written byDr. Weird September 11, 2010

age 10+

Skip it.

The worst take on Garfield ever.

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Adult Written byAtariNerd Y. May 5, 2018

age 2+

Great movie

11/10. Great vfx,plot, and characters. Most incredible experience I've ever had. It purged my children of Satan.

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Kid, 8 years old July 24, 2010

age 8+

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Kid, 10 years old February 9, 2016

age 8+

Terrible

Although the comic strip is great, this is just disappointing. Garfield is a terrible hero. So is Garzooka. Garzooka is just a buff Garfield. The plot doesn... Continue reading

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What's the story?

Far off in another galaxy, a clever professor creates a device that can switch the DNA of two creatures so that they become zombies. His gun is hijacked by an evil alien named Vetvix (voiced by Vanessa Marshall), who steals the gun and forces the Professor and the Emperor to do her bidding. The Pet Force, led by Garzooka (Frank Welker), tries to stop him, but they are thwarted by Vetvix. Garzooka then scans the universe for DNA replicas of the Pet Force, which leads him to Garfield (Frank Welker) and his gang. Mass chaos ensues as Garfield tries to save the universe from an alien invasion.

Is it any good?

As much as we might want it to be the good old wisecracking Garfield from the funny pages, this movie falls short of any expectations. Sure, kids who like action might be entertained by the space chase and the superhero comic book qualities of the story. But this movie pushes some boundaries that fans might not expect; whoever thought roly-poly Garfield would be wielding a gun? The two funny lines in the whole movie come from Garfield, and they relate to his food obsession. The rest is pretty much pulp.

Kids who love Garfield are better off checking out the TV series or even the live-action movie.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about the violence here. Why does Vetvix want to destroy everything? Does she give a reason? How does hearing those words make you feel? Check out these tips about how violence in the media affects kids.
How are the females in the movie portrayed? How do the male characters behave toward them? Are they treated as equals?
Garfield's obsession with food is a joke, obviously. And it does allow for some of the humor in the movie to come through. But who allows him to overindulge? Could Jon set boundaries? Is being fat funny?