Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Carmen and Juni think their parents are boring. Little do they know that in their day, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez were the top secret agents from their respective countries. They gave up that life to raise their children. Now, the disappearances of several of their old colleagues forces the Cortez' return from retirement. What they didn't count on was Carmen and Juni joining the "family business."
Spy Kids brought a genuinely fresh, candy-colored family spy adventure to the screen with Robert Rodriguez's distinctive kinetic visual style and imaginative production design. The concept of kids as bona fide secret agents was executed with real creative energy and a unique aesthetic. The plot is fun and energetic but fairly lightweight even for family fare. The acting is uneven — Banderas and Hayek are charming but the child performances are inconsistent. The ending resolves things quickly and tidily without much dramatic payoff. Its novelty remains its strongest suit — it carved out a genuinely distinctive niche in family cinema.