Spy Kids: All the Time in the World

...Took the family (5 year old son, 2.5 year old daughter) to see Sky Kids 4 today..

Speaking as an adult who saw all 3 of the original SPY KIDS movies in the theatre, this is easily the worst of the series. Joel Mchale (who i have actually become a fan of based off his THE SOUP and COMMUNITY work), Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara give some incredibly bad performances. Embarrassingly-so. Jessica Alba does what Jessica Alba does (thank the Gods she's cute and met Robert Rodriguez), and Jeremy Piven....actually i liked Piven. His character had an interesting story- arc, and he gives a solid performance.

Some of Ricky Gervais' one-liners were funny, too.

The rest of the film was pretty unbearable.

However, speaking as a parent who was out hoping to show his kids a good time, i actually have to give this movie a solid rating. My 2 kids enjoyed the heck out of it, from the talking dog to the baby decking a bad guy, the kids loved it. And my son had a lot of fun keeping track of when to engage the AROMASCOPE scratch card.

A nice film for younger families, i think.

I have often said that in order to enjoy mindless movies like "Transformers", we should "leave our brains at the door of the cineplex". Well, in order to enjoy this "Spy Kids" sequel, we need to lower our IQ to the level of four-year olds! 'Mindlessness' doesn't quite cut it, it is juvenile indulgence, meaning, it is only for kids below five.

And if you have been following the cinema ads and promos, you would know that this movie comes in 4D - with the added dimension of 'smell'. For that, viewers are given a numbered card (called Aroma-Scope) so that they can scratch-and-smell when the number appears on the screen. This is a childish gimmick aimed at kids. For adults, it is more of a nuisance because the scents are faint and the exercise distracts us from the action on the screen. Although there are many fart and poop scenes, the Aroma-Scope only provides scents of chewing gum and other edible stuff (thank goodness for that). History has demonstrated that all smell-o-vision gimmicks mostly stink.

Marissa Cortez Wilson (Jessica Alba) is such a dedicated spy that even when she is nine months pregnant, she manages to take down notorious villain Tick Tock (Jeremy Piven) before going into labor and retiring from her spy duties. Her aim is to devote all her time to her newborn and her step-kids, Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (Mason Cook) and hubby Wilbur (Joey McHale).

Soon, however, she may not have that much time. One year later, Tick Tock and accomplice, The Timekeeper (also Piven), are back at their attempt to rob the world of 'time' - and Rebecca, Cecil and their 'guard dog' Argonaut (voice of Ricky Gervais) must save the world (what else?). Also, they team up with Marissa's niece and nephew, Carmen and Juni Cortez (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara reprising their former Spy Kids roles) to make this mission a family reunion of sorts.

Writer-director Robert Rodriguez seems to be milking the same old cinema-script cow, urging parents to spend more time with their kids. This 'message' has been used by almost all family movies throughout the decade. The time-theft and time-travel conceits can be puzzling to children even if they allow Rodriguez to make use of all sorts of time-related gags. Of course, Rodriguez cannot resist the poop and fart gags, as well as throwing food all over the place. These, I understand, are the laugh-out-loud staple for American kids below five.

Among the cast, Blanchard and Cook are suitably cute and effective as the new title characters. Bringing back former Spy Kids, Vega and Sabara, is a good idea, adding a nostalgic touch for parents in the audience. Ditto that for Danny Trejo's short cameo as Uncle Machete. However, the irony of Daddy Wilbur being a 'Spycatcher' on TV is lost on the kids and scores no points with the adults.

As for Jessica Alba (as Marissa, the younger sister to Antonio Bandera's character), she provides the main box-office lure, nothing more. Strictly kids' stuff. (limchangmoh.blogspot.com)

Yes, Robert hasn't lost his touch. When a man has that much talent and imagination, you wonder how long he can keep it up. He is a genius, and I don't use that word lightly. He has invented a new kind of movie here, with the spy kids series. A movie that empowers children instead of what Hollywood has always done with children's movies. The spy kids movies are a refreshing change and I'm glad to see it continuing. The first three were ground breaking and very special. I was so glad to see that this one lives up to that. Although not as good as the first two, which were superb, I rate it about the same as the third one. It may be hard for some to embrace the new cast, which happens every time a new James Bond is cast. I think everyone is just as likable as the originals. Reviews that cut down the acting, plot or whatever don't understand what Rodriguez has done. This movie, as with the other three, is for children and people who love children. If you don't consider yourself in one of those categories then you won't get it.

The real purpose of a movie is to entertain (escapism) - to distance you from your problems for a short period of time. If you will look at this movie from the perspective of a person viewing movies for entertainment purposes, then this movie is good (not very good since there are a lot of better escapist movies out there). If you look at it from the perspective of a movie critic, then this is a horrible movie, filled with clichés and poop jokes.

The first film of this franchise may have had some cliché plot points, but it didn't rely on poop and fart jokes to move the story or try to make the viewer laugh.

This movie has the usual 'stepdaughter-hates-stepmom' and the 'geeky brother' story lines along with the happily ever after ending. It seems the movie thinks that watching these story lines is entertaining to kids, when in fact, it's not (speaking from my perspective as a 13 year old kid). To be frank, it's quite annoying.

However, this movie doesn't lack on the entertainment value. CGI all-around, gadgets everywhere, this movie has tons of cool stuff to keep the viewer at the edge of their seat. There are jokes that if you watch first may seem funny, but in the end will make you think "is that joke really funny, or is it offensive".

Bottomline is, this movie can be good or bad, depending on your perspective. To me, it's escapism at its finest.

One of the most Awaited Movies of the year and it surely delivers. The idea of time being sped up is really well thought of by the director and come honestly how many $d movies have you seen Off lately. The added dimension to the movie of Aromascope is basically smell and you have to experience it its totally fun. The movie is fast paced and gripping and all the character do justice to their roles. The chemistry between Jessica Alba and the new spy kids is very endearing whereas Jeremy piven plays his part amazingly well. The movie is well justified keeping in mind the target audience and assures to entertain kids as well as adults. Totally worth a watch