 SPY KIDS 2
MPAA Rating:
 for action sequences and brief rude humorReviewed by: Anita Better than Average
Moviemaking Quality:
 Primary Audience:
Family
Genre:
Adventure
Length:
_____
 Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams is the sequel to the wildly popular Spy Kids of 2001. The fun action of the original was generally regarded as non-offensive and good for the whole family. Spy Kids 2 is along the same lines, though there is some content that parents may find objectionable (like some crude humor, gratuitous body noises, nose picking jokes, Carmen's bare pot-belly in a formal dinner scene, etc.) And, like the original, the shitake mushroom joke is again rehashed.
The children's maternal grandparents are introduced to us in this sequel. Initially, they show their dislike of the father Gregorio (Banderas), but eventually learn to accept him. They become instrumental in helping to track down the children who have gotten lost on "the island of lost dreams". In the story, a scientist who lives on the island has created mutant creatures upon which he is fearful of. He never leaves his lab because of it. He wonders aloud if God stays in Heaven because He is afraid of what He created on Earth. But, as Christians know, the good news is that God didn't stay in Heaven: His omnipresence, and revelation to mankind in so many ways, is made most evident in the birth of a baby in Bethlehem -- Jesus Christ. God himself dwelled among us, on earth. He is not afraid of us, but instead loves us deeply. Enjoy Spy Kids 2 with the whole family. Be sure to stick around for the end credits and bloopers. Year of Release -- 2002  Negative - I am extremely disturbed by your recommendation to stay around and see the credits and bloopers. In the movie I saw they sent the girl on stage and exploited her with performing seductive dancing during the credits. Is this what you recommend as wholesome? I should have found a warning saying leave as soon as the movie is over. My daughter does not need the message of exploitation given to her after a children's movie and if I had a son he would not need to be exposed to this filth... Positive - Okay, I fully respect the reviews of others, but one thing bothered me -- I think the quote "Do you think God stays up in Heaven because He fears His creation?" was put in a place that signified a very Christian response. When I heard that line I wanted to cheer - I thought that it was amazing a movie had that. And the skeleton's coming to life was used in not a demonic fashion, but instead in a Lord of the Rings sense. And the mind communication was not referenced to witchcraft at all -- it was a new land with strange things. I am one of those people 100% AGAINST Harry Potter due to its demonicness - none of which is in SK2. SK2 is an awesome family movie that I, at 19, enjoyed. My younger brothers enjoyed it as well. It's well worth the admission - and you may end up wanting to see it again. Positive - Okay, I'm 20 years old and I admit it: I liked this movie. I really liked the first one and this one was good too. There are some great values and its just a fun movie. Couple of crude phrases and the mushroom thing (but the skeletons were shocked!) Totally dug the Lord of the Rings spoof. That is totally what this movie is about. Fun, harmless, doesn't take itself seriously at all. Don't analyze just enjoy. Positive - This was a fun little family movie. I saw it with my little sister and our parents, and all had fun. Is the story a little cheezy? Yes. But a bit of cheeziness is a staple of children's movies. The acting was (surprisingly) pretty good, and the story was enjoyable. And Steve Buscemi, who can make even the worst movie bearable) is hysterical. All in all, I enjoyed "Spy Kids 2." Not as good as the first one, but hey, let's not be picky, right? Positive - This sequel does justice to the original with more than just cool gadgets and high powered action sequences. Strong family values and a slant toward what is right and that this is the one thing even stronger that family. Good fantasy action and in keeping with a family tone. No bad lanquage with exception to a mention of poop and
a type of mushroom that starts out with the s-word.
An off color reference to God and his creation but not overly offensive to me as a Christian, once more in the end the "creator" is shown aprpeciated by his creation. Negative - Though I found Spy Kids(1) an excellent movie, I can hardly say the same for Spy Kids 2. As a Christian Mother I found several scenes disturbing. Mind communication (witch craft), skeletons coming to life (Demonic), and one very disturbing comment about God. Which was, "Do you think God stays up in Heaven because He fears His creation?" I do not recommend this movie at all. Neutral - I took my 2 kids ages 10 & 7 yrs. to this movie. They enjoyed it, although my 7 yr. was a little nervous about all the wierd creatures and the skeletons. I have to say I was disappointed. It carried none of the magic of the first episode; and the fact that Carmen hacked the computer to get Juni reinstated just underlines the world's philosophy that it's OK to retaliate in a wrongful way if you need to get back at someone. I wish I'd waited to rent it on video. Positive - This is harmless entertainment but did not hold my 14 year old son's attention. There is the obligatory good vs. evil plot. There are some good values displayed by the hero's parents, but nothing earth shattering. I recommend you wait for the discount theater or rent it when it is released on VHS or DVD. Positive - Most kids will love Spy Kids 2. I laughed as much as my son. I laughed because it was so dumb. It was good entertainment. They do use the S...word 1 time. It helped them get the pg rating. The violence that is in this movie is minimal, it probably wouldn't scare most older toddlers. Positive - One of the children used the s-word. There was a scene where two other spy kids fell into a large pile of Camel dung. The moral of the story was good. There was a bad agent that was discovered. The father makes good with his in-laws. Positive - This is a fun, family film. Our kids ages 4 - 11 loved it, and it wasn't hard for us to sit through. There is one, unnecesary swear word, but other than that it is an unobjectionable movie. It promotes families. The story line is creative, and even the "monsters" aren't overly scary to little kids. "...a fun outing for youngsters and grown-ups alike..." "...No profanity is present, but some colorful and imitative phrases are..." "...moral and honoring of parents and grandparents, though there are also elements of independent decisions..." Comments from young people Neutral - Spy Kids 2 is funny and not as stupid as the first movie. I liked this one much better, but I have some objections. My main objection is the "Island Man", the "creator" of all the animals says he is scared of his
"creations", then adds, "Do you think that is why God stays in heaven?". But, on the whole this is a good family film. Positive - I really liked this film. I think Carmen and Juni are nice kids that just happen to be fantastic spies- they're positive role models for young children. But I have to mention the "shiitake mushroom" joke again in this film, said with an even longer pause between the pronunciation of the first four letters and the latter three. That was completely unneccessary. Carmen is also, unfortunately, a talented hacker-she hacks into her spy agency's computer to reinstate her brother when he is wrongfully denoted as a spy. In order to get Juni and herself a better mission, Carmen sends the rival spy kids - Greg and Gerti Giggles- to the Gobi desert on a fake mission. But the film had a lot of good points- the strong bond of family. When Carmen and Juni are on a very hostile island, they use the "spy that doesn't want to be found" plan to stop their parents from trying to rescue them, saving them from possible death. A girl also learns the right way to gain her busy father's attention. Juni tries to stop his sister from falling for the wrong kind of guy. The kids' father Gregorio finally learns to work with his in-laws on the mission to save the kids. I saw Carmen and Juni like Harry, Hermione and Ron of Harry Potter- they get into mischief and break some rules for a reason they think is positive. Its not a right thing to do, but the both films make it seem necessary to resolve the situation the kids are in. The fight scenes in Spy Kids 2 weren't too violent- nothing a kid wouldn't be able to see on a children's TV show. Skeletons attack the children on the island- I didn't really understand how exactly they were brought to life. There's no island "holy man" using spells to make them move and fight with swords. They just did; I didn't find it occultic. A good film with a lot of positive parts to it. Positive - This movie was very entertaining. It had wonderful graphics and I found it to be very imaginative. It had a pretty good plot and was very fun to see. I liked it a lot and would recommend it for all ages. Positive - This movie was a great movie, I think it was better than the first one. It had some objectionable things, like while they're in the dragon spy it, picks his nose for him. I think this would be a good family movie. It would teach you not to hate your inlaws. I liked this movie very much. Positive - I thought this was a great movie. I did not see anything wrong with it. I thought that Alexa Vega, Matt O'riley and all the others
were great. Positive - I thought that this movie was pretty good. It was entertaining...but also kind of silly. I never saw the first one, but my mom said this one lacked the same plot holding.. but overall it was cute and a nice movie. This is a great movie to take your kids to, and be assured that they won't be seeing an objectionable movie. Though if they are scared easily, it might not be great for them, because there is a scene with skeletons that scared a little boy sitting next to me. Also there are some extremely big and weird animals creations. I didn't really like some of the outfits that the girl wore because they showed her belly, but other that that it was great. (and if u see it, make sure to stay for the credits/bloopers, they are almost better than the movie itself!!) |
The positives elements of Spy Kids 2 are basically the same as in the first installment: the Cortez family still loves each other and sticks together no matter what. The language is very clean. There is no sexually explicit dialogue or action (although the mother Ingrid, played by Carla Gugino, makes a suggestive remark near the end that turns out to be pretty innocent in nature).