SPY KIDS 3-D: GAME OVER — ** 1/2 — Daryl Sabara, Alexa Vega, Sylvester Stallone, Ricardo Montalban, Courtney Jines, Robert Vito, Ryan Pinkston, Bobby Edner; rated PG (violence); see "Playing at local movie theaters" for complete listing of local theaters.
A little 3-D goes a long way. Even in a film as imaginative as "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over."
In fact, this third installment of the lucrative teen action-adventure film series uses that almost-forgotten gimmick to the point of overkill. After awhile, the site of CG-created objects coming at you from every direction becomes too much of a distraction from the rest of the movie . . . and it becomes headache-inducing as well.
(This film has audience members wearing the red-and-blue plastic glasses typically associated with the older 3-D gimmicky films . . . and with headaches.)
The film itself is fun. Or at least more fun that the second movie. It's a quick-moving romp that not only spoofs spy movies but also pays homage to video games, as well as the cult-adored, videogame-centric 1982 Disney movie "Tron."
"Spy Kids 3-D" finds teenager Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) retired from the OSS. But as hard as he tries to get out of the family business, he's dragged back in when his sister Carmen (Alexa Vega) disappears while investigating the makers of a new video game.
To find her, it appears Juni must enter the game and beat it. That's the only way to stop the evil ToyMaker (Sylvester Stallone) from controlling the minds of video game-addicted children.
Unfortunately, he's not sure who to trust inside the game — there are three "beta-testers" (Robert Vito, Ryan Pinkston, Bobby Edner), as well as a mysterious girl (Courtney Jines). Also, he's not sure how much help his grandfather (Ricardo Montalban) will be — it turns out he's got a score to settle with the villain.
Like the other two films, this one has a playful sense of humor — especially the goofy intro done by Alan Cumming (reprising his role as Fegan Floop). The film could have used more of him, frankly.
Same goes for Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino, who find their parts reduced to glorified cameos. (There are also honest-to-goodness cameos by George Clooney, Elijah Wood and most of the major characters from the first two movies.)
Director Robert Rodriguez has paced things in a way that makes you overlook the plot holes. And the young cast members look like they're having fun interacting with the colorful CG backgrounds.
Meanwhile, Montalban steals his share of scenes, and it's sort of nice to see Stallone take a supporting role (it's his first since 1998's "Antz," and he was just a voice there).
"Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" is rated PG for scenes of video game violence (robot battles, vehicular mayhem and some slapstick). Running time: 87 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com