In the third installment of his very successful franchise of super small super spies, director Robert Rodriquez continues to keep it fresh for fans of all ages. While the plot behind “Spy Kids 3-D” isn’t as strong as its predecessors’, his enhancement of the visual effects is astonishing, especially when combined with the effects of 3-D.
In “Spy Kids 3-D,” Rodriquez continues the ongoing story of the Cortes spy family, this time centering the story on the youngest of the group, Juni Cortes (Daryl Sabara). Juni has since walked away from the spy game to venture into the field of Private Investigation, charging the very nominal fee of $4.99 for all of his cases.
But when the OSS contacts him about his missing sister Carmen (Alexa Vega), Juni is ready to get back in action, sent into a new online virtual reality game called “Game Over,” set for public release in 12 hours. What the public doesn’t know is that the creator of “Game Over,” a villain called the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone), has programmed an unbeatable last level and plans on trapping the minds of all of the world’s children in the game in order to control the future.
Rodriquez doesn’t incorporate the 3-D aspect of the film until Juni enters the video game, but after that, the glasses pretty much stay put. With every sequel, though, comes many problems, none of which I found particularly disturbing in “Spy Kids 3-D,” but some might find more troublesome. The plot for the film is very minimal, only enough to get Juni into the game and back out. The reason for this is understandable, but it seems the story is too dependent on what happens in the game and how the 3-D will be applied. Also, Juni is the main character of the film, and if you are a fan of the other family members from the previous films, don’t expect more than a cameo or so from anyone other than Grandpa Cortes (Ricardo Montalban), whom Juni selects to aid in his mission through the game.
By the end of the movie, it really doesn’t seem to matter what thin plot got the characters through the game, because everyone will have enjoyed the short and sweet ride that Robert Rodriguez is able to incorporate into every one of his films. Stallone also contributes a surprisingly enjoyable performance as the spy-gone-bad Toymaker who deals with three other personalities on the side. A great movie to take the kids to and one that parents could enjoy as well.
3 / 5 Stars
Starring: Daryl Sabara, Sylvester Stallone, Ricardo Montalban, Alexa Vega
Director: Robert Rodriguez
