“The first Spy Kids movie was so unexpected. Really? An action movie for kids? But you discover and buy into the world along with our espionage children. When we get to the sequel, we no longer have the thrill of the discovery. Now we’re diving right into the secret agent munchkin world. All of the over the top ridiculous toys and fun that we eased our way into are thrown at you from the beginning, and it takes a little getting used to.
One thing I realized today that I left out while gushing over Alan Cumming’s performance in the first, is that he seems to be the only one who treats the script like Shakespeare. He’s not holding anything back in his performance. With everyone else, you can almost feel them winking at you as they say these silly made up gadget names and decry their fate. But thankfully, he’s back, even if for just a few limited scenes.
The whole rest of the gang is back too: Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Danny Trejo, and our kids of course, Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara. All have grown more into their roles, the adults in particular chewing scenery with even more ferver than before. Now we’ve even got Steve Buscemi joining in on the party.
I wouldnt say that this one is bad (we’ll save that judgement for later movies) but it certainly lacks some of the magic of the first.”