Customer Reviews

Agent Cody Banks [VHS]

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

When I first saw the trailer, I thought "Oh man. Not another kiddy spy movie." I was not a fan of the Spy Kids films and watching them with my little brother was torture. I took him to see this because I love Malcolm In The Middle and Hilary Duff is hot! The movie ended up being very good. I was shocked! The plot is like this. 16 year old Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz from Malcolm In The Middle and Big Fat Liar) was recruited as a C.I.A agent via a summer camp. Now he gets his first mission. To protect the daughter of a scientist (Hilary Duff of Lizzie McGuire and a Hollywood Records recording artist) who has gotten involved with bad guys (one of them is Arnold Vosloo from the Mummy and ABC's Veritas) trying to destroy the world with micro robots that can eat through anything but glass. The only problem is Cody has a problem talking to girls. From the action packed begining to really cool end, everyone will love this movie. The gadgets are awsome and not at all kiddy looking (like another movie about young secret agents that I know of.) It's not a James Bond rip off (like spy kids), the story is (unlike Spy Kids), The action scenes don't look cheesy (like spy kids). About the only thing I didn't like is Cody's annoying little brother. But he's not in it that much!

I'm sure all of you have seen the trailors on tv for this movie and it makes you want to go see it. It's a very good movie! I took my 9-1/2 year old to see it and the theater was packed! Not only with kids but with a lot of adults (quite a few were without kid!). Parents, if you want a nice, good movie for your kids to see then this is the movie. Lot's of action, special effects but still down to earth and wholesome (none of this raunchy stuff nowadays.).

Cody Banks is your average everyday kid from Seattle, Washington who just happens to have been recruited by the CIA. His assignment is to get close to.....a girl. And from the trailors you can tell that Cody has a hard time talking to girls.

Think of this movie as a cross between James Bond & Spy Kids - it's kind of in the middle so pre-teens & teens will enjoy it. Frankie Muniz and Hilary Duff did an excellent job acting!

If your kids enjoy watching Lizzie McGuire and Malcolm in the Middle and Big Fat Liar then they and you won't be disappointed in this movie! I can't give the plot away or why Cody Banks needs to get close to "the girl" but you'll figure it out and if you see the movie you'll enjoy it. Go out and enjoy it together!

I saw the Sneak Preview ...and the movie was great. Frankie Muniz and Hilary Duff did great jobs and portrayed their roles well. Good kids movie (James Bond for Kids and Teens). Frankie and Hilarys character both very much differ from the characters on their TV Series.

I am a parent who took his kids. I thought it was very entertaining, with an excellent premise to the story. This is more in the flavor of a comedy-drama bond film and not the total fantasy of a Spy Kids.

More importantly, my kids and the others in the audience really enjoyed it. Based on audience reactions, I think the most popular age group will be 7-14. It is very well cast and performed (except Hillary Duff who has very few lines in the movie and manages to be Lizzy all over again); Frankie Muniz does an excellent job. Script is excellent. The inevitable sexual references are tasteful and kept to a minimum. No graphic violence or language. No really gross or off-color jokes. Only one visually disturbing moment at the end where the camera cuts to a few seconds of the villian's gruesome death. Frankie Muniz character has positive values. The CIA is shown in a very positive light (no liberal political correctness, thank you very much).

Overall a great family movie!

Agent Cody Banks is an action filled movie, with great actors, great scenes and, of course a great plot! The beginning starts with Cody on his way to school, with great shots of Seattle! Then a 3-year-old takes over his mother's car after left alone in the car, goes backwards down a crowded Seattle street, so Cody is on the go, chasing the boy down the hill, then, of course, a railroad crossing begins to lower, Cody catches up with the car and up on top of it as the camera show a British Columbia freight train barreling out the tunnel, Cody pulls the emergency brake of the car and the stops feet from the crossing, where the train is passing. All throughout the movie action is happening, from the beginning to the end, where a great battle ensues, after Cody sneaks into the ERIS base, in the beautiful North Cascade Mountains, tons of action! I would recommend this movie to anyone with a kid that's into James Bond.

I dreaded going to see this movie. I mean, I really dreaded it. I figured it was going to be a Spy Kids wannabe and therefore would be a rip off. Well, I got dragged by my kids (what else is new) and sat through it. I acually came out having enjoyed it.

First of all, this isn't a Spy Kids rip-off. I would classify it more as a "James-Bond-for-the-preteen-crowd" movie. It's been written to be fun, yet somewhat suspenseful (again, if you are a preteen) but never takes itself too seriously. What makes this movie fun for adults is the supporting cast. Let's face it, Frankie Muniz and Hillary Duff basically play their Malcolm and Lizzie characters here. No attempt at stretching their roles. I'm sure that's what the parts were written for them to do. However, Angie Harmon as the "CIA Handler" plays her part well, and is downright a pleasure to look at. You have to wonder, though, how many takes it took of Frankie falling face first onto her cleavage for him to get it right. Ian McShane playes a great evil genus, an of course Arnold Voolos (of "The Mummy" fame) steals just about every scene he's in.

Things in this movie that were not so good: The music was too loud at times, taking your attention away from what was going on up on the screen, The special effects were average, and the plot was kind of silly at times. But what do you expect from a movie for the Disney/Nickelodeon crowd.

So, overall, this movie is enjoyable. It's not something I would watch again (although my kids would, even my 15 year old). I would recommend it as a good family film

In one sentence: This movie is 007, but the star is too young for the vodka martinis. He does, however, think of himself as Bond. "Banks, Cody Banks." A few minutes after that he's using his gadget to look through girl's clothing. OK, that's more than one sentence. Frankie Muniz stars as Cody Banks, a kid who was recruited into a CIA training camp a few years back. Now he's living at home, cleaning the guinea pig cages and riding a skateboard. He also has a problem with talking to girls.
Cody is happy when he's recruited by a hot CIA agent for his first mission. He's upset at first when his mission turns out to be: Make contact and establish a relationship with Natalie Connors, the daughter of Dr. Albert Connors. Dr. Connors has created nanobots, microscopic robots that eat away metal. He has been unwillingly supplying them to a Bond-like evil doer (Ian McShane), who plans to destroy communications networks, missile guidance control systems, etc. with the nanobots. Sure beats the Spy Kids stories in terms of Bondness. Also like Bond is the signature Bad Guy's Assistant with a Twist (Arnold Vosloo). This baddie, named Francois, is pretty unimaginative in terms of a cool talent (think of Oddjob and Jaws). His only odd features are: it appears as if someone once tried to cut his throat, and he has an odd hairstyle. Francois and his employer have been the subject of studies by the CIA, and Cody is sent to learn more about the nanobots. Cody initially makes a bad impression on Natalie (he can't remember if T.C Elliot is a man or a woman), but after saving her life, she invites him.
After accidentally blowing his cover at the party, Cody is taken off the mission, just as he actually begins to truly like Natalie.
Natalie comes by to visit him, but Francois and his goons kidnap Natalie and leave Cody unconscious. The climax occurs at the bad guy's mountain fortress, where Cody saves Natalie, sends Francois to the CIA, and destroys the bad guy and his fortress. Bond, I mean Banks, and his girl have a kiss, and the credits roll.
When I went to watch this with my 7-year old brother, he didn't understand some parts, like: Why do the nanobots only work on metal? Why would a three-year old boy suddenly start driving a car and lock the doors? Why was Cody's brother given such a huge bribe when he could have been bought off for 20$ easily? Why... Why... Why? Then again, my brother had not seen a Bond movie at that point. When we rented it, he got all of it, and he is now 8. This is great if you liked Spy Kids but think that the new Bond flicks aren't worth a dime. This is great if you're anybody, for Pete's sake. My only beef with this fun movie is: The Bad Guy. He exuded no menace. He was about as terrifying as Banks. He was just a man with an odd accent. Francois was something, though. And couldn't they have put a little more kung fu into it, seeing as they had that cool fight between Ronica and Banks and the fight by the pool? Judging by the trailer for the sequel, there'll be plenty of chop socky to go around.

This movie was really good. I thought it would be a little kid movie and that i wouldn't like it that much but it wasn't. It really was for preteens and teens. The jokes were more tageted at people my age and they were really funny. There was also action and some very surprising parts. I really liked this and i recommened it to pretty much anyone over about 10.

2.5 stars

Films geared for teen audiences are often formulaic. Film studios seem to have a rather twisted idea that teens are interested in watching movies where the bad guys are bumbling idiots. If you look at today's contemporary literature for teens or young adults, you'll find that the opposite is true. The books that are being written (with the exception of spin-offs like The O.C. or Charmed) are usually intelligent. So why not make a movie for teens that's clever and thought provoking? Sure, the film made a good deal of money. Twenty-six million dollars was spent on its production, and it made forty-seven million in the theaters, and another forty-million for rentals. A good enough profit to make a second film.

This was above average for your typical teen film - but not by much. The formula is simple. A kid has resources that are beyond that of a normal kid (and yes, I understand that this is meant to be a self-esteem booster), he faces some fairly daunting odds, overcomes them, and gets the girl. That's the formula. Everything else is either peripheral (parents) or gadgetry.

That said, the action sequences in the film were believable and well choreographed. I have no idea if Frankie Muniz is skilled in the martial arts, but if he isn't, then the double they had stand in from him did a good job - as did the director for making it seem that it was actually Muniz doing the spins and kicks.

Still, I would like to see more films geared towards teens that reflect current trends of teen literature. The literature is getting "smarter", and so should the movies.

The dream of every teenage boy is portrayed in this underrated flick.What boy woudn't want to drive a cool car,work for the CIA, have a hot handler, kiss Hilary Duff, and save the world. A great addition to a getting boring spy gere.