A poor uninventive commercial film
 Apr 19th, 2001
(Apr 20th, 2001)
Advantages:
Carla Gugino is excellent . Good special effects .
Disadvantages:
Poor script, poor plot, little humour, poor acting .
Recommendable:
No
Detailed rating:
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  Alex1226
About me:
I powerlift, I write poetry, I watch films. Oh and Im a weirdo!
Member since:18.01.2001
Reviews:24
Members who trust:7
Review rated by 11 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
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 television programme. Enter our two heroes, Juni (Daryl Subara) and Carmen (Alexa Vega) who are the 8 and 12 year-old children of our ex-spies, who must save their parents from the evil mastermind and stop the army of robot children called “spy kids” (hence the double meaning of the title). The film is directed by Robert Rodriguez who has assembled actors from his previous films of ‘Desperado’, and ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’, such as Danny Trejo who plays Uncle Machete, and Cheech Marin, who plays Uncle Felix. There are also roles for Teri Hatcher, (‘Superman’, Tomorrow Never Dies’), Robert Patrick (‘Terminator 2’) and George Clooney (cameo). Rodriguez has had much success with his violent adult films, but the one criterion for a family film like this is that it can appeal to both children and adults alike. Whilst a young child might enjoy this universal rated film, I feel that it is thoroughly vacuous from an adult perspective.
The acting is second-rate and Antonio Banderas is frankly awful and unconvincing, which is surprising, especially after has played similar character roles before, albeit in a more violent and adult way (e.g. ‘Assassins’). The two children do not do badly, but nor do they excel. Child actors seem to have improved and set new high standards, especially after amazing performances by actors such as Haley Joel Osment in ‘Sixth Sense’. Strangely, critics have pointed to a strong script as a boon for this film, whereas I felt that it lacked imagination and was completely uninventive, not to mention that it was for the most part, utterly humorless. The one notable exception to the awful acting is the excellent Carla Gugino, who was, incidentally, a replacement for Kelly Preston (‘Jerry Maguire’), but even her casting is strange as how can the 29 year-old Gugino play mother to the twelve year old Alexa, when she was supposed to have retired from spying to start a family? This exemplifies the thoughtlessness and superficiality of the plot. One positive of the film is that the special effects are good, with ‘Super-Ted’ style boot rockets, jet-packs, a virtual reality room, speed boats, and a lightning fast micro airplane. Such gadgets seem to hold the film together to make the film bearable at least.
The idea of having a children’s version of James Bond is not totally original, as any film rarely is, and is much more disappointing than the ‘Teen Agent’ (1991), although Richard 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
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