Spy Kids

Reviewed by: Suad Bejtovic, Bosnian Movie Critic

Directed by: Robert Rodriguez

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Robert Patrick, Alan Cumming

I rarely go to the theater so poorly informed as that day when I took my daughter to see Spy Kids. By the time the closing credits rolled around, I knew I saw this thing somewhere. Sure enough, Spy Kids is directed by Robert Rodriguez, who made a name for himself with Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn. His distinct visual style and relentless lightning-quick editing is evident here, in the service of a movie for children.

The movie starts on a remote beachfront house, where Ingrid Cortez (Carla Gugino) tells a bedtime story to her daughter Carmen (Alexa Vega), while her son Juni (Daryl Sabara) is brushing his teeth. As the story unfolds, we learn that Ingrid used to be an international spy, until she met a rival spy Gregorio (Banderas). They fell madly in love and they gave up their spying career in favor of raising a family. Well, they didn’t actually give them up, and they didn’t do a good job hiding that from each other. They will learn that some former colleagues are missing and they will go on a search and rescue mission. The mission will go terribly awry and their only hope will be Carmen and Juni.

Rodriguez carefully balances the serious nature of kids’ quest and the fun they are having along the way. They will discover lots of useful gadgets, they will escape some evil enemies and meet some new and old friends, such as Uncle Felix (Cheech Marin) and Machete Cortez, Gregorio’s long-lost brother (Danny Trejo, another Rodriguez regular). Next up on schedule is the family’s showdown with the main villain, Mr. Lisp (Robert Patrick) who manipulated a children’s TV-show host (Alan Cumming).

As this is the movie for children, Rodriguez is aware of his responsibility to educate his audience. The movie is describing the importance of family in a clever way. It’s still a bright and sunny film, so there is no truly tragic moments. But the real strength of Spy Kids is the rich imagery Rodriguez uses throughout the movie. The children’s TV show features colorful characters, who may not be as happy as they look, we will discover. Alan Cumming is very good as the TV-show host and Robert Patrick is comfortable in the role of a villain again (he was the "Liquid Metal Man" in Terminator 2). Throughout the movie, we hear a very modern soundtrack, some of it rips off Mission: Impossible themes (the movie has a few references to M:I). Overall feeling is also modern, with some really peculiar art direction, obviously designed with tons of action figures and toys in mind. Rodriguez’s touch is visible in every sequence, including the final one, where another one of his favorite actors, George Clooney, makes a comic appearance. Take your kids to see this one – you’ll have just as much fun.

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