Spy kids

Gregorio Cortez (Antonio Banderas) and Ingrid Cortez (Carla Gugino) are a happily married couple living with their two children, Carmen and Juni, in a seemingly regular existence except for the fact that Gregorio and Ingrid are both professional spies. When their parents are kidnapped, Carmen and Juni are required to put their sibling rivalry aside and band together (hoping they have inherited some of their parents’ skills) in order to save them. Using a plethora of high tech gadgets and computer-generated stunts, “Spy kids” makes for good family fun, with a well-paced narrative and amusing script. Scottish actor Alan Cumming revels in the role of Fegan Floop a mastermind of devilry who aims to bring down the Cortez couple and rule the world. The aesthetic of the film overflows with lurid colour, in particular the elaborate setting of Floop’s castle with his peculiar army of plasticine-like figures and thumb-men. The film marks a shift in genre for director Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, Desperado, From dusk till dawn) whose previous efforts have been films of a more violent and bloody nature. Also starring Terri Hatcher, Robert Patrick and Tony Shaloub.