Spy Kids
| Spy Kids | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert Rodriguez |
| Written by | Robert Rodriguez |
| Produced by | Robert Rodriguez Elizabeth Avellan Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein |
| Starring | Alexa Vega Daryl Sabara Antonio Banderas Carla Gugino |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
Release date | 2001 – 2011 |
Running time | 272 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $ $464,669,520 [1] |
The Spy Kids series is a series of family/action/adventure films written, produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The main plot follows the adventures of the children of a married spy couple who become involved in their parents' espionage. The rest of their family are spies as well, including their estranged uncle Machete (who supplies the OSS with gadgets) and maternal grandparents. The films tend to have a strong Hispanic heritage theme, as Rodriguez is of Mexican descent, though the dialogue is predominately in English.
Even though all four Spy Kids films are espionage-based, MSN Movies ranks the first film as the ninth best superhero movie to date.[2] The first film was released on March 30, 2001. McDonalds' released Spy Kids toys in Happy Meals at the time the first film was released and also put toys with the Happy Meals at the time that the second and third film was released.
Plot summary
Prologue
About ten years before the films were set, there was a period of enormous political turmoil. Fearless agents were recruited for espionage, fearing only enemy spies. The way Gregorio Cortez (Antonio Banderas) and Ingrid Avellan (Carla Gugino) met is a Romeo and Juliet-type story, in that they were enemy spies assigned to kill each other that instead married. After their atypical wedding, they retired from espionage and started a family.
Spy Kids (2001)
After nine years of retirement, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez are pulled back into duty by a huge assignment, but they are a little out of practice, so they are easily captured. Their kids, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara), discover the truth of their parents' past, which Gregorio and Ingrid had neglected to tell them because they were afraid that if they knew, they would picture danger at every corner; and decide to rescue them.
On their first mission, Carmen and Juni manage to bring around their estranged uncle Machete (Danny Trejo), a genius gadget inventor and Juni helps to redeem Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming). Together, they thwart the ambitious Alexander Minion's (Tony Shalhoub) plans to develop an army of androids resembling young children for a mastermind named Mr. Lisp (Robert Patrick).
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
As agents of the OSS, Carmen and Juni face particularly hard competition with Gary (Matt O'Leary) and Gerti Giggles (Emily Osment), the children of double-dealing agent Donnagon Giggles (Mike Judge), whom Carmen and Juni helped to rescue from the first film. Juni gets fired from the OSS after fighting over a smaller version of the transmooker with Gary, despite Gary being the one who started the fight, and loses his spot as the best kid spy of the year award. Donnagon wants to steal the transmooker, a device that can shut off all electronic devices, so he can take control of the world.
On their next mission, Carmen and Juni follow the trail the mysterious island of Liki-Liki which is home to Romero (Steve Buscemi), an eccentric scientist who tried to create genetically-minaturised animals, but instead ended up with his island inhabited by mutant monsters . Eventually, Donnagon is fired and Gary suspended, and the transmooker is destroyed. Juni is offered his job back but in order to take a break from the OSS he retires from the OSS to start his own private eye agency which is shown in the third film.
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
Juni is thrust back into service when Sebastian the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone), an evil mastermind, creates a video game called Game Over that mesmerizes its users. Carmen was sent on a mission to disable the game, but disappeared on Level 4. With the help of his maternal grandfather, Valentin Avellan (Ricardo Montalban), who is a wheelchair user, Juni is sent after his sister and helps to disable the game in order to save the world. It is revealed the Toymaker was the one who disabled Valentin in the first place. Instead of avenging his former partner, Valentin forgives Sebastian who is redeemed. This 3-D film was filmed using James Cameron's Fusion Camera system.
Machete (2010)
Although this film is not, strictly speaking, part of the Spy Kids series, its main character is the titular Machete (Danny Trejo) who appears in the Spy Kids films as Juni and Carmen's uncle. The concept for the film and character were created by Robert Rodriguez for Trejo in the early 1990s, but nothing was ever committed to film before Trejo's appearance as Machete Cortez in Spy Kids. A fake trailer for the then-nonexistent film appeared in the 2007 double-feature film Grindhouse as a "preview" which played before the first movie Planet Terror, also directed by Rodriguez. Following the release of Grindhouse, Machete was greenlit as a standalone feature film, with filming taking place in 2009 and a set release date of late 2010.
Machete is a much more adult-themed film than the Spy Kids series, involving the title character being hired as an assassin only to be double-crossed and almost killed, but surviving and going on a vengeful rampage against the people who used him. Despite the continuing character of Machete, the film does not appear to be set in the Spy Kids universe.
Spy Kids 4: Armageddon (2011)
The fourth film will be released on August 19, 2011. Filming began in March 2010. The film will be a reboot to the series, and will feature new kids in a much bigger story. Unlike the first three films, the fourth film will be distributed by Disney, making it the first Troublemaker film to be released under the Disney label.[3]
Background and production
Influences
Spy Kids was heavily influenced by James Bond films. Director Robert Rodriguez says the first film was the "Willy Wonka and James Bond mix" and the second was the "Mysterious Island and James Bond mix"; by this pattern the third film could be described as the "Tron and James Bond mix". Technology in the films is almost always portrayed as looking friendly, and a bit cartoonish.
The Spy Kids films are like James Bond films, but with twists which are usually humorous. For instance, in the first film, a robot army is built to conquer the world. The twist is the robots are made to look exactly like children under about the age of 15 (these are the "Spy Kids" that the first movie title refers to: Juni rips off the robot Carmen's dog tags in one scene. There are 500 robot spy kids). There are often jokes about how routine saving the world is.
The spy organization featured in the films is called the OSS. The initials seem to have been derived from the Office of Strategic Services, a former American intelligence organization during WWII which later evolved into the CIA. Note there is a character named Donnagon Giggles, after William Joseph Donovan, the director of the real OSS. What the initials stand for in the Spy Kids universe is never specified on screen, but, according to one of the books, they stand for the Organization of Super Spies.
Themes
One of the chief themes of Spy Kids is the unity of family. The films also play with the idea of children having adult responsibilities, and how keeping secrets from family members can have a negative effect on relationships. The first film also deals extensively with sibling rivalry and the responsibility of older children. It also has a strong sense of Hispanic heritage.
Technical innovations
The second and third films were shot with High Definition digital video, parts of the third film using an anaglyphic process to create the 3-D effects. Audiences were given red/blue glasses with their ticket purchase in movie theatres. Four sets of these glasses were also included in the DVD release. The third film was also used as a test for a special Texas Instruments digital projector which is supposed to be able to project polarized 3D, a process that does not require the red-blue lenses.
Future
It was confirmed in October 2009 that Rodriguez is writing the fourth film, which will begin shooting in March 2010. It is tentatively slated for release in 2011. The film will be produced by Troublemaker Studios and the first film distributed by Walt Disney Pictures instead of the now-defunct Miramax Films or The Weinstein Company under Dimension Films. In December 2009, it was revealed that the fourth film would be a reboot of the series and would feature new kids and that filming would start in March and April 2010.[4] The name has been confirmed as Spy Kids 4: Armageddon according to Box Office Mojo.
Cast and characters
List indicator(s)
- Italics indicate a cameo.
- A dark grey cell indicates the character did not appear in the film.
| Character | Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spy Kids | Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams | Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over | ||
| Carmen Cortez | Alexa Vega | |||
| Juni Cortez | Daryl Sabara | |||
| Gregorio Cortez | Antonio Banderas | |||
| Ingrid Avellan-Cortez | Carla Gugino | |||
| Machete Cortez | Danny Trejo | |||
| Felix | Cheech Marin | |||
| Fegan Floop | Alan Cumming | |||
| Alexander Minion | Tony Shalhoub | |||
| Donnagon Giggles | Mike Judge | |||
| Grandpa Valentin Avellan | Ricardo Montalban | |||
| Grandma | Holland Taylor | |||
| Gary Giggles | Matt O'Leary | |||
| Gerti Giggles | Emily Osment | |||
| Romero | Steve Buscemi | |||
| Dinky Winks | Bill Paxton | |||
| Devlin | George Clooney | George Clooney | ||
| Mr. Lisp | Robert Patrick | |||
| Ms. Gradenko | Teri Hatcher | |||
| Alexandra | Taylor Momsen | |||
| President of the United States | Christopher McDonald | |||
| The Toymaker | Sylvester Stallone | |||
| Francesca "Cesca" Giggles | Salma Hayek | |||
| Demetra | Courtney Jines | |||
| Arnold | Ryan Pinkston | |||
| Francis | Bobby Edner | |||
| Rez | Robert Vito | |||
| "The Guy" | Elijah Wood | |||
Reception
Box office
The first film was a surprise hit, opening with $26.5 million and grossing a total of $112.7 million USD in North America and $35.2 million over-seas. The second film had a disappointing but still strong opening weekend of $16.7 million and a total of $25 million since its Wednesday launch. Overall, it grossed $85.8 million in North America and $33.8 million overseas. The third and final film opened with a surprising $33.4 million, but didn't quite live up to the first "Spy Kids" total gross. In the end, it grossed $111 million in North America. However, its over-seas gross was double either of the first two "Spy Kids" at $85.3 million. Altogether, the "Spy Kids" trilogy grossed over $450 million worldwide.
Critical reception
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | Cream of the Crop | |
| Spy Kids | 93% (116 reviews)[5] | 96% (24 reviews)[6] |
| Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams | 75% (127 reviews)[7] | 79% (29 reviews)[8] |
| Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over | 45% (134 reviews)[9] | 38% (29 reviews)[10] |
DVD and Blu-Ray releases
- September 28, 2001 (Spy Kids) on DVD
- February 18, 2003 (Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams) on DVD
- February 24, 2004 (Spy Kids 3D: Game Over) on DVD
- December, 2009 (Spy Kids Trilogy) on Blu-Ray
Soundtracks
References
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=spykids.htm
- ^ MSN ranked it behind X-Men, Batman, Spider-Man, The Incredibles, Superman, Darkman, The Super Inframan, and Hellboy. Msn Movies - Best Superhero Movies
- ^ Spy Kids 4: Armageddon
- ^ Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub (December 20, 2009). "Robert Rodriguez Talks SIN CITY 2, MACHETE, and the Next SPY KIDS Movie". Collider.com. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spy_kids/?name_order=asc
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spy_kids/?critic=creamcrop
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spy_kids_2_island_of_lost_dreams/?name_order=asc
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spy_kids_2_island_of_lost_dreams/?critic=creamcrop
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spy_kids_3d_game_over/
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spy_kids_3d_game_over/?critic=creamc
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