Sly 'Kids'
Robert Rodriguez injects kids adventure with plenty of energy
By Dan Lybarger
mag@ljworld.com
Like the speedy vehicles that can be seen throughout the film, "Spy Kids" moves at an agreeably quick pace, never letting up for such petty things as catching your breath.
Writer-director Robert Rodriguez, who has made such ultra violent fare as "Desperado" and "From Dusk Till Dawn," turns down the gore that usually dominates his films and replaces it with a charming whimsy. The energy of his previous movies is still there as well, resulting in a kiddy flick that's more creative and exciting than the last few James Bond entries.
"Spy Kids" gets off to a slow start, but once Rodriguez finishes with the introduction and gets on with the explosions, the results are consistently kinetic. Carmen and Juni Cortez (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) are two youngsters who have espionage in their blood. Their parents Gregorio and Ingrid (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) are retired agents who have kept their past a secret, reducing it to a bedtime story they tell their kids at night.
The situation changes when top spies turn up missing, and the elder Cortezs begin to miss the excitement of their old lives. Unfortunately, the assignment turns out to be a trap set by villainous Fegan Floop (Nicely played by Alan Cumming, "Get Carter") and his accomplice, Mr. Minion (Tony Shalhoub, "Galaxy Quest"). Floop is an unlikely bad guy because his day job is hosting a popular kid's show. It turns out the unusual creatures who populate the program are really the captured agents, and these could soon include Gregorio and Ingrid.
For their sake, it's a good thing Carmen and Juni have inherited their aptitude for handling obscure contraptions and for getting out of tight spots. Rodriguez comes up with enough of these for 15 movies. He also creates lots of intriguing gadgets (like exploding bubble gum) and several imaginative creatures and robots. Carmen and Juni have to dodge creations that are literally all thumbs (their heads, arms and legs are shaped like the largest finger) and an army of evil look-a-like robots.
Rodriguez also expands on the type of images he normally puts into flicks. Floop's world looks like something Tim Burton might have imagined (Burton protege Danny Elfman wrote Floop's songs). Rodriguez may not be an innovator, but he combines dozens of seemingly incompatible motifs effortlessly.
There's an oddly successful kitchen sink mentality that keeps "Spy Kids" afloat. If a special effect seems wanting, Rodriguez quickly throws in another image that's a knockout. There's one stunning picture of the parents viewed from the infant Carmen's eyes. In some ways the film might have been better if Rodriguez had lingered on the more impressive sequences, but the richness of the final film and Rodriguez's work ethic win out. The director also served as a producer and camera operator and even plays guitar on the soundtrack.
Rodriguez's dedication to the film and its audience runs through every frame, leaving a viewer with an immense sense of gratitude. With a recent crop of indifferent films for children like "Recess: School's Out" and "See Spot Run," it's a pleasure to know that someone who makes these films still takes kids and the parents who have to accompany them seriously.
-- The Mag can be reached at 832-7178.
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