Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams

In the following joint Blu-ray review of the new Lionsgate/Miramax release, John Puccio wrote up his comments on the movie, with Ranjan Pruthee writing up the Video, Audio, Extras, and Parting Thoughts.

<b>The film according to John Puccio</b>

They're back.  But you knew they would be.  You didn't think the Disney studios, Dimension Films, and Buena Vista Home Entertainment would let a bonanza like the original "Spy Kids" go long without a sequel.  Nor Robert Rodriguez, who wrote the film, directed it, produced it, edited it, composed the music for it, and even supervised the digital photography for it.  In fact, the "Spy Kids" franchise may turn out to be a long-running series, given that 2002's "Spy Kids 2:  Island of Lost Dreams" did almost as well at the box office as its predecessor.  At least, there will be sequels until the movies' pair of young stars are too old to be considered "kids" anymore. 

Anyway, the result this time out is not quite up to the originality of the first film, but its sheer exuberance is good enough to keep youngsters enthralled and maybe keep most adults at least mildly entertained.  That is, if you don't look too carefully for anything even remotely resembling a plot.  Instead, the film is content to play like the combination of a Lara Croft video game, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Jason and the Argonauts," and "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad."

Fortunately, it's still got those good old family values to tie it all together, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara) Cortez once again helping to save the world, with the minor assistance of their mom, Ingrid (Carla Gugino) and their dad, Gregorio (Antonio Banderos).  And this time out there's even the addition of grandparents (Holland Taylor and Ricardo Montalban).  Of course, they're all spies.  It runs in the family.

The best part of the picture for me was the opening sequence in an amusement park.  The place is filled with CGI created rides, most of which look so hokey you'd swear they were put together by the Playskool folks.  Indeed, even the movie's computer-generated monsters look purposely cheesy, giving the film an old Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animation look.  In any case, the owner of the amusement park, Dinky Winks (Bill Paxton, just one of many big names doing bit parts in the film) gleefully describes each gut-wrenching wonder to the daughter of the President of the United States (Taylor Momsen), who is singularly unimpressed by any of them except "The Juggler," which tosses its riders around in the air inside cages like so many circus juggler's balls.  When things go awry, the Secret Service calls upon the Spy Kids to save the young lady's life.

But the real story concerns the disappearance of a Transmooker device, which was invented by a full-time genetic specialist and part-time mad scientist named Romero (Steve Buscemi).  The Transmooker has all kinds of marvelous powers, not the least of which is to destroy the world.  Donnagon Giggles (Mike Judge),  the new head of the country's top spy agency, the OSS, sends his son and daughter, Gary and Gerti (Matt O'Leary and Emily Osment), after it, much to the dismay of the rival Cortez siblings, and much to the surprise of the audience who may be a little perplexed about why the country is entrusting its safety to kids and not adults.  Well, it makes perfect sense to kids!

Expect the usual arsenal of special gadgets that would make a Bond film blush, including a personal mechanical assistant--a bug named R.A.L.P.H.--lots of climbing gizmos, rocket shoes, complicated watches that do everything but tell the time, and a plethora of mini-copters.  Also expect the kids to be more accomplished than ever at things like ballet dancing, computer hacking, and voice impersonation.  And expect the usual gimmicks children love so much, like vomit, burps, and mounds of camel poop, as well as cameo appearances by folks from the first film, like Danny Trejo as Machete, Alan Cumming as Fegan Floop, Tony Shalhaub as Alexander Minion, and Cheech Marin as Felix Gumm.

"Spy Kids 2" is even sillier than the first entry, but kids will probably like it as much or more for its color and excitement.  Things need to happen rather fast and without much reason, so, as I've said, don't even try to follow the plot line.  Cliff hangers abound, too, literally, with high tech the order of the day.

This second installment is longer than the first by ten or twelve minutes, probably a bit too long for younger children, but on DVD there's always the opportunity to come and go when you want.  I continue to like the film's emphasis on the family coming first, a sweet thought in today's disintegrating world.  Finally, look for some clever business in the closing credits, including a music video and some outtakes.

Video:

Lionsgate is doing justice to Miramax titles, and “Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams” looks stellar on Blu-ray. The 1080p transfer is encoded using an MPEG-4/AVC codec and presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. For a nine-year old film, the print looks nice, with no trace of any damage. The colors are deep and completely natural. There are plenty of reds and blues in the color scheme, making the film’s palette lively. The detail is consistently good, and sharpness holds up well even in the rapid action sequences. The flesh tones are realistic, too. My only complaint: the digital photography eliminates grain to the point where the transfer looks way too clean. Still, there are definite merits to this transfer, and it doesn’t disappoint.

Audio:

As expected, the lossless 5.1 DTS-HD track performs remarkably well. The dialogue is sharp and is mainly driven by the center channel.  The rear channels are active in action sequences, in which we hear explosions and other dynamic noises. The subwoofer also kicks in to produce low frequencies. There is no doubt that this track is energetic and perfectly presents the sonic world of spies.

Extras:

First among the bonus items, we get an audio commentary track with director Robert Rodriguez. He talks about the performances, scenes, CGI, and the idea of the film. Rodriguez sheds light on a lot of technical details. Up next, in “Robert Rodriguez Ten-minute Film School” Rodriguez focuses on the special effects used in the film. After that, “A New Kind of Stunt Kid” shows us several stunts undertaken by the young actors in the film.

Following these items, “Lost Scenes” is a set of deleted scenes rightly edited out from the film. We also get a music video, “Isle of Dreams.” Then there’s “School at Big Bend,” which shows the actress from the film, Alexa Vega, hosting a look at Big Bend. Up next, “Essential Gear: The Gadgets of Spy Kids” is a fun look at various spy gadgets. Finally, “Total Access 24/7” is some behind-the-scenes footage, along with several interviews. Lionsgate also includes several theatrical trailers and a digital copy of the movie on a separate disc.

Parting Thoughts:

The world of spy kids got bigger in the sequel, especially when the plot involves the President of the United States. This time around the spy kids have their own offices, too. Moreover, the family has grown with the arrival of the in-laws. Instead of showing the sibling rivalry as seen in “Spy Kids,” the sequel focuses more on peer rivalry and professional competition. Carmen and Juni teach others several things during their mission, and they continue to operate with a sharp mission focus, learning many things themselves. “Spy Kid 2” manages to mix comedy, action, and family moments in an entertaining way. I giggled in the climax because Rodriguez cleverly pays homage to the heyday of Ray Harryhausen movies. The moment we see skeletons fighting with swords, it refreshes our memory of Harryhausen’s “Jason and the Argonauts.” In the end, “Spy Kid 2” is an above-average sequel, and this Blu-ray release is surely going to please its fans.