Spy Kids: All the Time in the World- Movie Review

Written and Directed by Robert Rodriguez

Running Time: 89 minutes (1h, 29 mins.)

Rated PG (for mild action and rude humor)

Distributor: The Weinstein Company (Dimension Films)

(Note: I didn't see the film in 3D. A 3D, or in this case, "4D" version was not showing in my theatre, but they did hand out one of those scratch and sniff cards. I'll talk about that later.)

Ten years ago, Robert Rodriguez, a director who was better known for such bloody, violent films like Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn, decided to a break from that stuff and work on a film that was appropiate for everyone. At the time when he announced Spy Kids, I sure that many people (especially his fans) laughed it off. They must have thought it was a joke, but he wasn't kidding. Of course, everyone loved the film. I love the film, even to this day. The second one was good, too and the third one was okay, although I loved the 3D (It was the first 3D film I saw). Yeah, I had a lot of good memories watching all three Spy Kids movies. So when they announced that there would be a fourth film, I was less than amused. But when the cast members were announced, I thought maybe this one wouldn't be too bad. Then I saw the finished material...

This new Spy Kids revolves around two new twins named Rebecca and Cecil (Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook), who have a stepmom: Marissa Wilson (Jessica Alba). Their dad is Wilbur Wilson (Joel McHale), a spy-hunting reporter. Yes, you read that right. They all don't know that Marissa is a retired agent for the OSS (Organization of Super Spies). However, she gets thrown back out of retirement when Earth gets threatened when a villain called The Timekeeper makes time go way faster. The kids learn that she's a spy and they join in the action as well, along with the family dog, who's actually a talking robot (voiced by Ricky Gervais) and the return of the original Spy Kids, Juni and Carmen (Daryl Sabara and Alexa Vega).


I'm just going to cut to the chase: this movie sucks. It has none of the excitement, adventure, fun or humor that the first three films had. It instead has unfunny fart jokes, barfing, and the dog pees oil slick and poops exploding balls. Wow. The scractch and sniff cards are a gimmick, obviously, but it's an okay gimmick. Some of the smells came out nice, but the rest smelled more like cardboard. Like I said before, I didn't see the film in 3D, but I hear it's pretty crappy. Just like this movie. The visual effects were terrible, then again the film did have a $27 million budget, so I understand why. Next time, Robert, why don't you make another film like this with a budget that's higher?


The dialogue is pretty bad, as well as the acting. I was highly disappointed with Joel McHale's performance. He's funny on Community and on The Soup, but he's terrible in this movie. I know that he was trying to match the feel of the movie by going over-the-top, but it just doesn't work. Not much to say for Jessica Alba, except she tried her best. The kids were alright, but they're pretty unmemorable, but thank God for the originals. They're at least good in this movie as well as Ricky Gervais, who has some funny lines in between. Jeremy Piven (who's awesome on Entourage) plays both the head of the OSS and the villain. Big coincidence. He's not bad in the film, but he's not that good either.


I can be pretty soft on these kinds of movies, but I can't be soft on this film. It's stupid, unfunny, wasted and just plain boring. It's a sequel that definitely killed one of my favourite franchises, and that's why I give the film *1/2 (One and a half stars). Originally, this wasn't going to get the half, but Gervais, Sabara and Vega kind of save the film from being a entire stinkfest.