Spy Kids **** (2001, Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alan Cumming Tony Shalhoub, Teri Hatcher, Cheech Marin, Robert Patrick Danny Trejo) – Classic Movie Review 633

After their spy parents (Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino) have been kidnapped by a megalomaniac, a pair of plucky young sibling spies (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) set out to save them — and the world too!

Feisty performances and flashy visuals spur on this brilliantly fast-paced, inventive and totally exhilarating 2001 children’s adventure comedy that is surprisingly adult-friendly. The normally very grown-up writer-director Robert Rodriguez manages a dazzling triumph.

Alan Cumming as Fegan Floop, Tony Shalhoub as Alexander Minion, Teri Hatcher as Ms Gradenko, Cheech Marin as Felix Gumm, Robert Patrick as Mr Lisp and Danny Trejo as Machete also star, with Mike Judge, Richard Linklater, Guillermo Navarro, Johnny Reno and Shannon Shea also in the cast.

There are three sequels so far: Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams in 2001, Spy Kids 3D: Game Over in 2004 and Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D in 2011.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 633

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