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(4) GARFIELD’S PET FORCE with the voices of Frank Welker, Audrey Wasilewski, Gregg Berger, Jason Marsden and Wally Wingert. Directed by Mark Dippe (Walmer Park, The Boardwalk).

THE first two Garfield films with the voice of Bill Murray and live performances by Breckin Meyer and Jennifer Love Hewitt were quite good and were box office successes, so why is the comic strip’s creator preferring to push ahead with these poor quality fully-animated films?

Barely six months after the disastrous Garfield’s Fun Fest hit the big screen, we are “treated” to yet another one, and this time it has a super hero theme.

Nermal (voiced by Jason Marsden) is obsessed with the Pet Force comics in which Garzooka, Starlena, Odious and Abnermal save their planet from evil invaders. But when things go wrong and his team mates are captured, Garzooka heads to the world Garfield (Frank Welker) and his pals inhabit, as he thinks they may be DNA matches for his missing allies. So Nermal, Odie (Gregg Berger) and Arlene (Audrey Wasilewski) are given a serum that gives them super powers, and go into battle against an alien queen.

Although Garfield doesn’t receive super powers, when the evil queen starts turning people into zombies with her ray gun, he turns out to be the only one who can save the day.

The story is dreadfully convoluted, and why the queen feels the need to continue fighting the heroes on Garfield’s planet, when she has already achieved the quest she came there for, makes no sense whatsoever.

The story doesn’t seem in keeping with the spirit of the original Garfield comic strip and is unlikely to impress many fans.

However it is a slight improvement on the previous film. As one father who accompanied his daughter remarked on entering the cinema: “I suppose everyone who couldn’t get their kids into Full Moon has ended up here.”

Which is pretty much the only reason to go and watch it. – Reviewed by Leon Muston ARTS EDITOR mustonl@avusa.co.za