Film Reviews

Spy Kids 2

• Rating:
• Director: Robert Rodriguez
• Starring: Alexa Vega
• Details: US / 90 mins / (G).

Fresh from saving their parents from death and proving themselves as ace undercover agents in their own right, those crazy spy kids, Carmen (Vega) and Juni Cortez (Sabara), face a much greater challenge (wouldn't you know it?) in The Island of Lost Dreams. Presented with a challenge to retrieve a secret device, the Transmooker, which has been located on a mysterious island, the pair of adolescent agents set out on their mission. Things go from bad to worse when Carmen and Juni realise that their secret weapons don't work on the island, while a rival couple of espionage agents, Gary (Matthew O'Leary) and Gerti Giggles (Emily Osment, who is Haley Joel's sis) are also on the trail of the Transmooker.
The original Spy Kids was something of an unexpected smash hit, and although the sequel isn't quite as fresh or incisive as the film that inspired it, this is hardly a wasted exercise. The basic tenants of the first movie remain intact - good humour and action sequences galore - and the actors, especially the younger ones, seem to be enjoying themselves immensely. Rodriguez has stated that he made Spy Kids for his own offspring, and if it made them as happy as the kids who attended the same preview as me, Spy Kids II can't be classed as anything but a success.

Review by Garreth Murphy