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All-Reviews.com Movie/Video Review
Spy Kids 2: The Island Of Lost Dreams
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  out of 4
Review by Susan Granger
3½ stars out of 4
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Buckle up for the fast-paced, live-action family adventure of the
summer! The spunky junior espionage experts, Carmen (Alex Vega) and Juni (Daryl
Sabara), are back with a new assignment, amazing accessories and two junior
G-men rivals. The story begins as their father, Gregorio Cortez (Antonio
Banderas), is passed over for an OSS promotion which is given, instead, to his
dastardly rival Donnagon (Mike Judge), whose children, Gary (Matt O'Leary) and
Gerti (Emily Osment, Haley Joel's sister) Giggles are highly competitive with
Carmen and Juni. "Remember, an agent is only as good as his gadgets," Gary
sneers, flaunting the latest gizmos. So when Gary and Gerti greedily grab a plum
job, Carmen and Juni divert them and set off to reclaim the Cortez stature in
the OSS. On a mysterious volcanic island, they discover a paranoid genetic
scientist (Steve Buscemi) whose experiment to create a miniaturized animal zoo
has gone amok. His creatures have become gigantic hybrids, like slizzards (a
lizard/snake) and spider/monkeys. Far more threatening than the mutant
menagerie, however, is The Transmooker, his top-secret device, which the evil,
power-hungry Donnagon covets. In order to succeed this time, the spunky
half-pint heroes abandon their techno toys and rely on their wits and ingenuity,
along with the support of their father, mother (Carla Gugino) and skeptical
grandparents (Ricardo Montalban, Holland Taylor). Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez
makes good use of high-definition video cameras and imaginative visuals,
inspired by sci-fi pioneer Ray Harryhausen. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to
10, "Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams" is a cool, clever 8,. With
traditional family values and kid-empowerment, it's a rollicking good
roller-coaster ride for its target audience.
Copyright © 2002 Susan Granger
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