Agent Cody Banks 2: Mission London

This was a sequel made in a hurry, trying to desperately catch Frankie Muniz while he was still a teen.

It's not as good as the original, but there are enough fun moments here to pass the time. I liked Anthony Anderson as Cody's new handler, and as an S Club 7 fan it was nice to see Hannah pop up. Though her trying to pass as a teen might have been a bit of a stretch.

It looks cheaper than the original, there's a noticeable dip in quality, but I remember liking this as a kid.

I was lucky to get a free preview ticket for this ahead of its official U.K. release. Lucky in that I didn't have to pay to see this film. Because it sucks big time. We are talking hungry anteaters here, people. This film should have been called "Cody Banks Franchise: Destination Oblivion". And this is someone who thoroughly enjoyed the original film. But everything that that film got right, this one manages to get wrong. The great joke in the original film where a teenage secret agent has to get close to a professor's daughter but proves to be completely clueless around women has been junked here and all we are left with is the standard teenage secret agent story. That wouldn't matter so much if we had a great story and great characters but we don't.

Setting it in London would have been a great idea if they had bothered to look beyond the standard cliché English eccentric characters but they don't. This is lazy writing of the highest order (yes, Don Rhymer, I mean you) and throws away every opportunity the setting gives for the story. Why not some cultural misunderstanding between Cody and the English, for instance? Or their disbelief that he is a secret agent. I know this isn't supposed to be taken seriously but this could have been a lot funnier than it is. Instead we get the typical English eccentrics so beloved of Hollywood.

Still, I must confess that the revelation during the concert at Buckingham Palace at the film's finale that Tony Blair is under mind control from an evil mastermind did make me laugh, even though it takes the film dangerously close to realism, something that doesn't occur again throughout the rest of the film (the Blair look-a-like (and sound-a-like) is great though - give that man a medal. For a minute, I was thinking it was the real thing. After his appearance in "The Simpsons", I was beginning to think that maybe Blair was starting to line up a new career for himself for when he gets kicked out of Downing Street).

And if I say that the only person not to disgrace themselves in this film is Hannah Spearritt, then you may some clue about how bad the performances are. Paul Kaye (a.k.a. Dennis Pennis) gives a career-truncating performance as an eccentric Q-type character while Anna Chancellor gets stuck with another posh English woman role after her turn in "What a Girl Wants" (What has this poor woman done to upset her agent? That's what I want to know), Anthony Anderson manages to make his previous performance in "Kangaroo Jack" look a masterpiece of subtlety by comparison and David Kelly is embarrassing as an eccentric butler (a shame as he's usually quite good, as anyone who's seen "Waking Ned" will testify). As for Hannah Spearritt, she makes an appealing easy on-the-eye replacement for Hilary Duff and isn't half bad as the flautist/covert agent, especially given the paucity of the material she was to work with. Given a decent script, she might find herself a career outside of S-Club 7 but after this and the S-Club 7 movie "Seeing Double", like Anna Chancellor, she needs to get herself a new agent first (perhaps she shares the same one as Anna Chancellor). To think this travesty was directed by an Englishman (Kevin Allen) defies belief (what was he thinking of? The pay cheque?). Avoid (like the plague), I beg you!!!

Frank Muniz comes back as Cody Banks in this lackluster sequel in which he comes out of kids spy school to track down a hispanic Dictator named Diaz who used to be in the Cia.

Lame jokes are abound in this sequel as the jokes will pass you by without making you laugh, although kids might get them (like the chocolate surprise joke and millions of James Bond references)

One aspect I didn't like in this sequel are the numerous racial insults and stereotypes in the film ranging from a middle eastern with a bad accent to a black Muslim who plays a trumpet!! Man I don't know how this on screen, it also explains why Roger Ebert gave this film a thumbs down.

Still if you like dumb entertainment check it out.

PS: Speaking of dumb racial stereotypes that girl who plays the blonde dumb bimbo who belives the lies of Cody is a near riot, at the expense of dumb blonde stereotypes.

A few laughs yes, but is the movie good? No.

Agent Cody Banks 2 is a decent sequel to the original. It is watchable with a few scattered laughs. However, the film way overstays its welcome. Some scenes go on without any point to them whatsoever. The climax at Buckingham Palace seems to go on and on forever. I think Frankie Muinz is a very bland actor. I never understood his appeal or of his show Malcolm in the Middle. He seems lost in a role that requires more charisma and screen presence. In the first movie, he had help from Angie Harmon and Hillary Duff. In this movie, he has a miscast Anthony Anderson and an English girl who is not given enough screen time to develop a character we care about. This is not to say the movie is not fun to watch. However, it pales in comparison to the original and the far superior Spy Kids trilogy which was far more imaginative and more fun. 5/10 and I think I am being generous

There have been several negative comments on this movie, namely on the choice of casting, and on the quality of acting.

Firstly, I think choosing London as the setting was a brilliant idea (Though I am slightly biased). Not only could British people relate to the film, other countries would also find it interesting.

I also think that it was brilliant casting Hannah Spearritt to play Emily. She is an excellent actress, and suited the character well, and it only furthered her acting ability. I also think Frankie Muniz has matured so much since the first film, and seemed a lot more comfortable.

All in all, I thought it was an excellent film!