Customer Reviews

Spy Kids [VHS]

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

I've been a fan of Robert Rodriguez from the first moment I saw "El Mariachi," and each successive film has just given me more reason to be a fan. With "Spy Kids," Rodriguez changes gears, giving us his first film for kids, and the first film where he finally gives free rein to the sense of whimsy and fantasy hinted at in previous films.

While the film is nominally a kid's film -- a surreal children's television show that makes the Teletubbies look mundane features prominently in the story -- the humor and action is genuinely good for all ages. At one point, pre-teen heroine Carmen Cortez says that no one knows what her uncle does for a living, and he moves around a lot, and is generally mysterious. To which her uncle replies "doesn't everyone have an uncle like that?" Well, yes, we do. :)

Beyond Antonio Banderas' star power -- and he does a very knowing self-parody of his own traditional parts in the movie -- other strong performances by "name" actors pepper the film, including Teri Hatcher, Tony Shaloub, Robert Patrick, Cheech Marin and -- one of those actors viewers know by sight, if not by name -- Danny Trejo.

Overall, the action is kinetic, the message sweet, the kids believable and not in the least cloying (a true rarity in film), and overall, the film is a great treat for Rodriguez fans who have been watching his evolution towards more and more fantastic material (something that seemed obviously in his blood ever since the climax of "Desperado").

Recommended for fans of Robert Rodriguez, spy film fans in touch with their inner child, and families of children ages 6 and up.

Spy Kids is an interesting movie. It claims to be a kids movie, but is so awash in weirdness, that any young child might have nightmares about this. In that way it is similar to Willy Wonka, but then it is so different. Robert Rodriguez, best known for his hyper-violent films such as Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn, shows he is adept at handling light hearted and whimsical fare. Spy Kids is a sort of modern fairy-tale beginning with "Once upon a Time", and finishing with a happy ending. It is escapism for kids, and I was sucked in. What kid didn't want to have cool gadgets and be the hero. I know I did, and it reminded me of my childhood. It is refreshing to see a pure family film that takes risks with its viewers, Rodriguez isn't satisfied to keep the film within conventional techniques, he makes it a visual feast while not disorienting the viewer in anyway. On top of that, I found the bickering between the brother and sister to be really very funny; They definitely seemed like brother and sister, which was key of course. The supporting performances were uniformly excellent. Antonio Banderas and Alan Cumming both gave wonderfully eccentric performances. Overall, the movie was soaking in creativity and thoroughly satisfied me.

Carmen and Juni are two kids who are just trying to grow up. Carmen resents always having to look out for her brother, and Juni is constantly afraid of everything and is the bullies' favorite target at school. But one day, they learn that their parents are really spies who have been kidnapped. The kids soon realize that they alone must find and rescue them. Along the way, Carmen and Juni will have to learn to work as a family if they have any hope of returning home alive.

This is a delightful film the entire family can enjoy together. The plot is cleaver and entertaining so everyone will enjoy it, and the characters are endearing. I especially love the scene where Juni meets his hero Floop and gives him advice. There is definitely a strong message about the importance of family, but it is brought out by the story and never feels too preachy.

A movie with this much imagination doesn't come along very often. Children of all ages will enjoy this purely escapist adventure.

This was one of my favorite movies of the year. It was an extremely well crafted kid's movie. It seemed to be made completely with kids in mind. Some jokes may not be funny to adults, but adults should still be able to respect the movie's craft for putting them in for the kids. I've heard many children say this was their favorite movie of the year. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because the DVD is not the Special Edition. The special edition was released in theaters August 8th I beleive. It only added one scene, in fact they only reprinted the last reel of the movie. Theaters got old copies of the movie except for the last reel. I loved the special edition though, it was worth seeing for the new scene, which was always inteded to be in the movie, but couldnt be completed due to lack of budget for the effects, until the movie was a hit and they could afford it. I'm not buying the DVD until a special edition is released, hopefully with commentary by Rodriguez. The new scene definately added another clever bit to the movie. They are in a cave full of sleeping sharks, and Juni has to pee badly, but Carmen warns him that sharks can only sleep where chemical levels are right in the water, and if he pees, it will wake them up. I want to own this movie on dvd badly, but it will just bug me to not see that scene every time i watch it, because it belongs there. Kids will still love the movie, I did before the special edition, but now it seems like that is the real edition, and the original is missing something.

This is an excellent family film, with plenty of action, comedy, and solid pro-family messages for both kids and parents, messages which don't beat you over the head or drip with saccharine. A great mix of fantasy, adventure, James Bondian gadgets, and kid-accessible characters and themes.

Director Robert Rodriguez, best known for his ultra-violent films such as El Mariachi, Desperado, and From Dusk Till Dawn, crafts an well-paced, well-told, and highly enjoyable story. I easily sat through this film in the theater, pleased with its impressive production values, acting, story, special effects, and its sheer imagination. I was engaged and interested from the very beginning, as were my kids (4 and 6). I remain impressed by the clearly adult themes (and visuals) of the opening boy spy-meets-girl spy bedtime story, as we slowly realize that the story being told was that of the now boring, predictable, and thoroughly domesticated mom and dad. We've watched this film dozens of times since, and it's still easy to sit through, great fun for both me and the kids.

The morals of the story are clear enough to any adult viewer: the importance of family and family support, the importance of believing in yourself, and the importance of being open and honest. My 4-year-old son picked up clearly on all three messages, without any pointers from me. By the end of the film, everyone has matured in one way or another, every character has gained insight, and the family is closer than it ever was before.

There are great supporting appearances by Cheech Marin and Robert Patrick (Terminator 2), although we sadly don't see enough of either. Alan Cumming as the fanciful and ultimately influential Floop is very enjoyable. Tony Shalhoub is great fun, as he is in every role he touches (check him out in Barton Fink), as the diabolical master manipulator, initially in the background who eventually becomes the ultimate bad guy, Alexander Minion. His best line, as he takes over: "I can assure you, it's MISTER Minion now." He gets his in the end, naturally, but it is not unpleasant or gory. It's actually quite comical, and he appears even to accept the final result/punishment he has brought upon himself.

There are a number of other celebrity cameos here, including Teri Hatcher, Beavis and Butt-Head creator Mike Judge as Donnagon, George Clooney right at the end as Devlin, and a very stealthy Dick Clark as one of Floop's financiers.

The story of the kids discovering that their parents are spies, having to strike out on their own with neither knowledge nor support, and then using their smarts and talents to take action to regain control of the situation and find their parents is plausible throughout, even when they're flying over the ocean and desert in personal jetpacks and mini-jet planes. We trace the kids from their home into the bad guy's lair, and the journey is easily believable and logical.

The gadgets are a treat, from mini-jet planes to personal flying Buddy Pacs to homing devices, electrostatic gum, pinpoint video cameras, submarine minivans, instant McDonald microwave meals, and a totally cool Super Guppy submarine. The best part is that the kids get almost all of the gadgets, and they put them to instant good use defeating the bad guys.

There are plenty of good comic bits to liven up the film as well, both jokes and sight gags. The kids act and talk like kids throughout, which adds to their plausibility of the film. The humor is both juvenile and adult, and presented in such a way as to keep the two separate, as they should be. There is no swearing, no blood or gore, no violence (some minor fisticuffs), no gunplay or weapons, no nudity, and no drugs.

Spy Kids is original, creative family fare, great for a video/DVD purchase and repeated viewings at home. The messages in the movie are strong and highly positive, yet subtle enough not to overshadow enjoyment of the story, its characters, and their adventures.

but why did everyone else copy it? there's been like 3 movies that copied it! like:
1.agent cody banks
2.catch that kid
3.incredibles
yes the incredibles copied it. the WHOLE story!! i don't know why they did that? can't they leave movies alone? like shrek was copied with monsters inc. and ice age! i'm getting tired of that at least madagascar is original.

I thought SPY KIDS was very well-done. Not only will the kids love it, but this is a film that adults and teenagers will enjoy, too. This film is very worth-while viewing. It's about these two average kids who think their parents are so boring. Then, when their parents are missing, they learn their parents are actually International spies and have been kidnapped. The kids are the only ones who are able to save their parents. This film was very enjoyable. It had lots of action and very cool special effects. The plot was kind of predicetable but who cares? The acting was excellent, too by Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega, and Daryl Sabara as well as the rest of the cast. The kids will love that this is a film with kids as the superheros and adults and teenagers will love the cool special effects and excellent filmmaking. If you have not rented this film yet then I definitely recommend you do so. In fact, I don't just recommend that you rent SPY KIDS, but I strongly recommend you BUY it! It's the perfect family entertainment - with something for everybody! :-)

Here's a mainstream movie, a kids' movie at that, which is Latino and diverse. Too often films for audiences of color are niche-marketed, thus making it so that only straight-white-middleclass-male movies are seen as universal. Here, children are taught to be proud of their Spanish last name. The son imagines friends with Spanish first names. The daughter takes voyages to Belize. They say Spanish phrases to each other. In addition, the DVD has Spanish and French dubbing. Something more fascinating: one never knows if the family is all-Latino or mixed, white-Spanish or minority-Latino. I love the way this film can speak to audiences beyond race, nationality, first-language, gender, or age. I recommend this DVD for children and their parents of all backgrounds.

Am I the only person who is REALLY tired of studios releasing a movie on dvd & shortly thereafter seeing it released as a special,collectors,platinum,director's cut,deleted scenes,alternate endings,bonus footage...edition. If you notice, this dvd states in it's description that it contains the ORIGINAL theatrical presentation. Does anyone think that in a few months the additional footage which was rereleased in theaters will be included in a new dvd designed to make you buy it TWICE? The dvd makers are the new snake oil salesman. At least with this one you can be 99.9% sure that if you wait you will get a better dvd.

This movie is full of action, adventure and creative characters without being violent and scary. My two boys loved it. It was loads of fun for my husband and I as well as there is plenty of comedy that transends generations. We have seen Spy Kids 2 as well but can't reccomend it as it contains more violence and the characters were pretty scary.