Review

Review Date: 11-August-02
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Just OK

Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002)

I admire Robert Rodriguez. He's bold, talented, self-assured, grounded, fond of children, and rather sexy to boot. As a young filmmaker in Mexico, he had the tenacity to make and market the wonderful "El Mariachi" for a few thousand bucks borrowed from his friends, family, and credit card --- a risk which paid off tenfold and put him on Hollywood's It list. Just this past year he almost single-handedly created the sequel to his surprise hit "Spy Kids," serving as writer, producer, director, and cameraman; heck, he even did the special effects and editing in a private studio at his home in Texas. He loves what he does, and he does it on his own terms. In short, the guy is cool.

While I'm doling out compliments, let me add that Daryl Sabara, the curly-haired, russet cutie from the original "Spy Kids," is still one of the most appealing young actors I've ever seen. And that new spy kid on the block Matthew O'Leary, though just beginning his teens, is everything Hayden Christensen wants to be and isn't. And that young Emily Osment, also a new spy kid, makes me think the tremendous talent of her older brother Haley Joel does not represent the sum total of thespian ability in that family. It is so nice to see children in movies who aren't comic brats, saccharine angels, or victims whose pain is used to elicit shock and outrage.

However, as all good things must come to an end, I am now compelled to report that the movie which brings all of these engaging people together, "Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams," is not an accomplished, impressive, or altogether satisfying film. As with so many sequels, it seems to be trying too hard --- to live up to expectations, to be as memorable as the original, and to break new ground while offering more of whatever seemed right the first time --- the thought being, I guess, that if factor X worked once, X multiplied by three will work even better. Unfortunately, this thinking almost never produces anything worthwhile.

This time our heroes, Carmen and Juni Cortez (Alexa Vega and Sabara), are full-fledged agents for the Spy Kids branch of the US espionage agency OSS, where their parents (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) also work. The young spies vie for the top spot in the agency with Gerti and Gary Giggles (O'Leary and Osment), whose father (Mike Judge) has recently and suspiciously been named OSS Director. In a muddled series of events that take the place of a plot, the Cortezes travel to a mysterious island inhabited only by mutant creatures ("catfish," for example, with the heads of fish and the bodies of cats) and the warped scientist who created them (Steve Buscemi). The Giggleses (?) follow Carmen and Juni to the island, and the teams compete to find a device whose exact purpose is never clearly articulated and seems to change to suit different scenes. There's a lot of gadgetry, coupled with a message that kids need to use their heads as well as technology; there are battles with monsters and a swordfight with skeletons (none very convincing); there are juvenile romances, including one between Juni and the President's daughter; there are cameos from the first movie (Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, Alan Cumming); there are new characters in the form of the spy kids' grandparents (Ricardo Montalban and Holland Taylor); and, unfortunately, there's just a hint of the sexy interplay between Banderas and Gugino, which was so winning (especially to us fogies) in the original. All in all, there's a lot going on, but everything seems disconnected, like a pile of great ideas picked off index cards and thrown together with a little digital pinache.

The original "Spy Kids" was not a great movie, but it was fresh and fun and gave kids something to look at other than perfectly cleavaged Disney heroines or insipid, animated talking animals. I'm not a kid and I don't know many kids, but I hope that even a young 'un can realize that this film, however well meaning, is a pretty poor yarn pretty poorly told.

Copyright © 2002 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.