Spy Kids Trilogy (Box Set) (DVD)

Advantages: Fast paced, action packed
Disadvantages: Only really appeals to kids

...Curtis) to produce an interesting spy story with humour. <Spy Kids> Spy Kids is a combination of many different cinematic types. We have James Bond / Inspector Gadget type gadget wizardry; we have theatrics that could be taken from classics such as the Adams Family, and for the American's out there we have Pee Wee Herman's playhouse as a background for the evil doers. Groegorio (Anthony Banderas) and Ingrid Cortez play spies on opposite sides ...
...children's versions of the adult spy gadgetry. It would have been interesting to have seen more 'Willy Wonka' type gadgets for the children to see. From my children's reaction to this movie I rate it fairly high as it kept their interest and had them laughing at times; as a parent I found the movie to 'childish' for me - many movies of this type normally have some humour directed at the adults, this movie didn't really do that. <Conclusion> Although ... Read review

Advantages: Great adventure
Disadvantages: None

...They encounter a dodgy chief spy played (perhaps over-enthusiastically) by Superman's Teri Hatcher (although given the way she ends up looking, perhaps she can be forgiven), the supposed villian - a willy Wonka type children's TV character - and the real villians. The chases and thrills are well delivered and there's some great comedy. Of course the "pee" and "poop" jokes got the biggest lauchs from my lad, but there really were only 2 - this isn't ...
...laughs from grown-ups and kids. There are a few fights, but these are handled extremely well without being condescending. In fact they're done in a great, knowing way - "close your eyes kids, you won't want to see this". In America, the film is getting bonus points in reviews because the heros are all latino. That doesn't make much difference here, but the kids are cute without being saccharine and put on a great show. The other hot topic over there ... Read review

Advantages: Great performances by the two kids.
Disadvantages: The words are pretty hard to hear during Floop's song.

...this time his wife's a spy as well, and the film's for kids. So that's okay then. The film opens at bedtime in the Cortez household. Juni's (Daryl Sabara - His first film appearance) putting his anti-wart medicine onto his fingers, whilst his sister, Carmen (Alexa Vega - Twister) asks for a bedtime story. The one she gets told by her mother, Ingrid (Carla Gugino - Spin City, Snake Eyes), is the story of two spies from different countries who get ...
...Unbeknownst to her, the story is actually that of her mother and father, who gave up the spying game for a far more dangerous mission - that of parenthood. Into the mix comes Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming - Goldeneye, God the Devil and Bob), the host of a number two rated children's show. It's a show that Juni thinks is fantastic, as such children do, but everyone else thinks is a load of old tosh. Anyway, we soon find out that Floop is supplying high-tech ... Read review

Advantages: Suitable for everyone, but unusually enjoyable. Take your kids and actually enjoy it yourself too.
Disadvantages: A little saccahrin in places, but rises above this at the end/

Saw this with my two little girls and we all loved it, which is unusual to say the least. It was directed by the same guy that did Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn, but is totally suitable for all ages. Great cast, especially the two young leads and full of special effects that look as good as any Phantom Menace or Mummy. The action scenes shine and manage to tread that fine line between being not too scary for kids, but enjoyable for adults, I ...
...this much and would consider going to see it on my own, which I have NEVER said before about a film I took my kids to see because THEY wanted to see it. It has some surprisingly inventive moments, one of the characters uses giant hands as henchmen, the thumb being the head and the arms and legs the other four fingers in a fingerbobs type set-up, except they are the size of humans, and wear balaclavas in public to disguise their thumbyness. I presume ... Read review

Advantages: Carla Gugino is excellent. Good special effects.
Disadvantages: Poor script, poor plot, little humour, poor acting.

Spy Kids’ has been met with almost universal critical acclaim, and Miramax are so impressed with it, that a sequel is already in production, but it is hard to see why this is the case. Two retired spies Gregorio Cortez (Antonio Banderas) and his wife Ingrid (Carla Gugino, ‘Spin City’, ‘Snake Eyes’) are captured by Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming, ‘Goldeneye’), a rich and powerful producer of a children’s ...
...Grieco plays a slightly older spy than Juni and Carmen do in ‘Spy Kids’. My reservations about this film are almost irrelevant when one looks at the commercial and merchandising success of this film, as ultimately that is what is important. However, from an artistic point of view, I only hope that the sequel will bring a better script, a more inventive plot, and more imaginative acting. Overall 3/10 ... Read review