SPY KIDS — *** — Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alan Cumming, Tony Shalhoub, Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin, Robert Patrick, Teri Hatcher; PG (violence, mild vulgarity, mild profanity); Carmike 12, Cottonwood Mall and Ritz 15 Theaters; Century Theatres 16; Cinemark Jordan Landing Theaters; Gateway 8 Cinemas; Loews Cineplex Midvalley and Trolley Corners Cinemas; Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons; Redwood Drive-in (with "Get Over It").
OK, if "Charlie's Angels" could be considered to be either "Mission: Impossible" with two X chromosomes or a James Bond movie with a feminist slant, what would that make "Spy Kids?"
On the surface, this briskly paced hybrid film — at times it's a comedy, at times an action-adventure — would appear to be the kids' equivalent of the aforementioned films. But it's so goofy, so utterly weird, that it may be beyond some of the target audience.
Not that employing a bit of off-kilter sensibility is necessarily a bad thing — especially when it comes to the often too-bland kids' film genre. In fact, it's staggering to realize the amount of visual creativity that went into what could have been just another mediocre piece of supposed family fare.
That said, the movie isn't perfect. For one thing, it's a little too violent (though by today's standards, that violence is fairly tame). Also, there are a couple of scenes that may be disturbing to very young audiences, and there's no question that the movie could have used more humor.
But when stacked alongside such inappropriate drivel as "See Spot Run," it's a breath of fresh air. Better yet, it won't bore parents, which really says something these days.
The title characters are Carmen and Juni Cortez (Alexa Vega and newcomer Daryl Sabara), two relatively normal elementary-school students who don't realize that their seemingly independently wealthy parents (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) are actually retired international secret agents.
But that fact is finally revealed to them when the two adults are kidnapped by Fegan Floop (Tony-winner Alan Cumming), a children's television show host who's been capturing spies and changing them into mutated creatures that he features on his program.
Floop's evil machinations don't end there, however. He also plans to replace the children of prominent world leaders with murderous robot versions. However, they're missing one crucial component: a top-secret electronic brain, which Carmen and Juni are fortunate enough to find.
And while they're trying to keep that out of Floop's hands, the kids are also busy using their parents' high-tech spy equipment (and just a little bit of luck) to try to break them out of his dungeon.
As he's done several times in the past (especially in his ultra-low-budget debut, "El Mariachi"), writer/director Robert Rodriguez makes the most of a limited budget here. In particular, the digital and makeup effects are comparable to many films with much larger budgets. (They may not be up to "Star Wars" standards, but they're still decent.)
Better yet, he's created characters who are interesting enough to not be overwhelmed by the wild action going on around them. That's not only attributable to Rodriguez, but also the young actors who play Carmen and Juni.
The adults also seem to be having a good time, especially Banderas, who's more loose and lively than he's been onscreen in quite some time. Cumming and character actor Tony Shalhoub also get ample screen time as the villains of the piece. (Another highlight is a recognizable score by Danny Elfman, including a Floop song that's obviously the creation of the onetime Oingo Boingo leader.)
"Spy Kids" is rated PG for violence (hand-to-hand combat, most of it played for laughs), some mildly vulgar humor (including one thankfully brief toilet gag) and a couple uses of mild profanity. Running time: 89 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com