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| STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED |
| Unmissable |
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| FILM DETAILS | Certificate
U | | Cast
Antonio Banderas
Carla Gugino
Alexa Vega
Daryl Sabara
Alan Cumming. | | Directors
Robert Rodriguez. | | Screenwriters
Robert Rodriguez. | | Running Time
88 minutes |
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Spy Kids
Plot
Carmen and Juni think they have the squarest parents around. Little do they know, they used to be two of the best spies in the biz. When their olds get kidnapped by TV kids’ show host Floop, it’s time for the siblings to save the day.
Review
Robert Rodriguez has already proved himself to be a fast-paced, tightly kinetic filmmaker with a knack for brevity. El Mariachi (1992) allegedly cost only $7,000 to make, and few of his films teeter past the 90-minute mark. Yet surprisingly — for a filmmaker who could give John Woo a serious run for his money in the cinematic gun play stakes — Rodriguez has unexpectedly found his true calling in making a kids’ film.
Spy Kids is unashamedly brilliant, a fast and furious fusion of hip references, cute action, dynamic visuals and sheer delight. Rodriguez — here also acting as editor — opens strongly with a sustained bedtime story that sees mother Ingrid recount her fateful meeting with husband-to-be Gregorio and their subsequent wedding, hounded by choppers and Uzis. If God really is in the details, then Rodriguez seems to have a hotline to the deity, right down to the heart-shaped parachutes that conclude this bravura sequence.
Antonio Banderas — Rodriguez’s screen alter-ego — is note perfect as the suaver-than-suave special agent, ably accompanied by Carla Gugino as his wife/fellow spy. Best of all, the kids — Vega and Sabara — are likeable and more than adequate, eschewing your typical Hollywood treacle.
Indeed, the film is so set on avoiding the sentimental traps that spoil so many kids’ flicks that it even delivers its final moral directly to camera, with all the family posing as if for a snapshot, in a moment that is full of genuine wit as well as invention.
And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, an old Rodriguez buddy — we’re not saying who! — shows up for the last few minutes in a hilarious cameo.
Verdict
With Spy Kids, Rodriguez has more than delivered on the promise he has consistently shown as a filmmaker, and, in doing so, he’s created the best live-action kids’ film in years. The summer blockbuster season starts early this year — and it starts with Spy Kids.
Reviewed by Bob McCabe
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Average user rating for Spy Kids
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| Spy Kids Review | | A kinetic and fun movie that's sure to thrill children of all ages. ... More | | | Posted by the film man at 21:52, 15 December 2011 | Report This Post | |
| | | | Why, Robert, why? I loved your films! (Well, I actually adore Sin City). But this is the lowest of the low. ... More | | | Posted by nc_jj at 03:53, 27 September 2008 | Report This Post | |
| | | Soooo Much Fun!! | | A REAL kids film. One of the best, and with Rodriguez at the helm, it's near faultless ... More | | | Posted by blaud at 15:58, 26 March 2008 | Report This Post | |
| | | RE: RE: | | Agent Cody Banks!! (suffers heart attack) ... More | | Posted by Henry JW at 21:44, 25 June 2006 | Report This Post | |
| | | RE: RE: | | L: Zaphod121
shame on you, its pretty bad, I dont like it what so ever, Spy kids 3D is even worse though. ote]
Says the guy who would put Agent Cody Banks in his list of top 10 best films! ... More | | Posted by BobaJango at 20:55, 25 June 2006 | Report This Post | |
| | | RE: RE: | | shame on you, its pretty bad, I dont like it what so ever, Spy kids 3D is even worse though. ... More | | | Posted by Zaphod121 at 20:53, 25 June 2006 | Report This Post | |
| | | RE: RE: | | For some strange reason i own this (on video though). ... More | | Posted by BobaJango at 20:14, 25 June 2006 | Report This Post | |
| | | RE: | | Watched this last night...
Great fun, consistently inventive. I'd avoided this for a while fearing that the kids would irritate me beyond belief, however they were actually quite likeable.
Oh, and George Clooney's cameo at the end? Genius.
4/5 ... More | | | Posted by Bulletproof_Monk at 12:00, 24 June 2006 | Report This Post | |
| | | | A great kids film with an excellent cast. ... More | | | Posted by Naweed_1 at 12:17, 12 March 2006 | Report This Post | |
| | | RE: Spy Kids | | L: BobaJango
I still find it hard to believe that this is a Rodriguez flick somehow!
sp;
I know. After stuff like El Mariachi, Desperado and the like, it's a very strange set of films to make.p;
I hated this the first time round, mainly because the child actors are awful. But the second time around, I kind of enjoyed it, as I knew what to expect. Alan Cummings is great in this. ... More | | Posted by AgentGoth at 17:01, 31 January 2006 | Report This Post | |
| | | RE: Spy Kids | | I actually enjoyed it....p;
Spy Kids 3D - Wohhoooo! ... More | | | Posted by CURIOUS_GEORGE at 21:48, 27 January 2006 | Report This Post | |
| | | RE: Spy Kids | | I still find it hard to believe that this is a Rodriguez flick somehow! ... More | | Posted by BobaJango at 21:11, 27 January 2006 | Report This Post | |
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