Spy
Kids 2: The Movie of Realized Kids' Dreams Spy
Kids 2: The Movie of Realized Kids' DreamsI really enjoyed the first Spy Kids movie. Sure, it was the ultimate kids' fantasy. You wake up one day as a little boy and find out your parents are secret agents and your house is really a hidden treasure trove of cool, high-tech gadgets and super-cool espionage junk. Then, Dad and Mom are kidnapped, and it's up to you and your big sister to become spies yourself to rescue them. The original had smarts, it had thrills, it had laughs. But, most of all, it was a lot of fun!
I'm very happy to report that Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams is a worthwhile follow-up. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that Spy Kids 2 is the perfect sequel. It rather effortlessly captures the style, charm, and appeal that made the first film one of the surprise sleeper hits of 2001. I'm a single guy who likes his space.But after seeing this film ... I WANT SPY KIDS!
OK, I want that cool wristwatch that Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara)
wears that has satellite TV, Internet access, a compass, and a laser beam.
Sure, it doesn't tell time. But who cares? I can check my email AND zap
people who don't know how to drive in front of me on the highway. I want
those awesome rocket shoes that Carmen Cortez (Alexa Vega) wears
that can propel their wearer up to the tops of trees, houses, and amusement
park rides. Sure, I'd probably break
my neck, plunge a couple hundred feet to the ground, and go to "Double
O-Heaven." But I would have a smile on my face the whole time.
Everyone is back from the original. And it's no wonder. It's only been a little over a year since the first flick was in theaters (the two lead kids look virtually the same). Also, once again, the Everyman of Spy Kids is writer-director-producer-editor-composer Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a father of three, drifts between making films for his children (the Spy Kids flicks) and stylized action flicks for grown-up thrill seekers (Desperado, From Dusk Til Dawn). He commands the loyalty of a fun troupe of actors, including Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin.
Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino return as Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez, the kids' legendary spy parents. The focus is much more on the children this time as the OSS organization now has a whole Spy Kids program and training center in place. But the Rodriguez script finds a nice meaty subplot for the elder Cortezes and for a new set of spy grandparents played by Ricardo Montalban (KHAANNN!!!!) and Holland Taylor. Banderas also has terrific fun spoofing his tough-guy image in nearly every scene. One fight scene, in particular, will give new meaning to the phrase "My dad can kick your dad's butt!"
The plot revolves around a secret high-tech device stashed away on an island belonging to a reclusive scientist (Steve Buscemi of Desperado, Fargo, and countless other films). The so-called "Transponder" has the power to shut down all technology on the planet, and the new corrupt head of the OSS, Donnagon Giggles (Mike Judge), wants it for (of course) world domination. He even gives his own arrogant spy kids (Matthew O'Leary and Emily Osment) Level 1 spy clearance to help on the mission, setting Juni and Carmen up to fail.
The Spy Kids films have that cool Spanish vibe running throughout them. Just listening to Banderas and Montalban talk to each other will have some of the Moms in the audience reaching for a cigarette. And the two movies also promote a strong sense of family and belief in one's self. The latter point is underscored in the sequel when the two teams of spy kids reach the island and realize that none of their gadgets work and they have to rely on their wits. They also find the island populated by weird mutated creatures that drift between the whimsical (flying pigs) to the scary (Harryhausen-like beasts known as Slizzards). Nothing is overly scary for the little ones in the audience, though. Spy Kids 2 was made to give your children dreams, not nightmares.
And, hey, even some of the grown-ups in the audience will want to be included in the fun. The film doesn't forget anyone. It's entertaining, hilarious, and action packed, and I sincerely hope Spy Kids 3 will be on my mission roster for 2003.
Spy Kids 2 is rated PG for stylized action violence and some slightly scary zoo aberrations. OK, Haley Joel Osment's sister is in this flick, and the fact that the two siblings look and sound almost EXACTLY alike was quite disturbing to me. I see Osment people!
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