Spy Kids: Armageddon

Robert Rodriguez has become famous for his wacky, imaginative family films among other works. Spy Kids, The Adventures of Sharkboy & Lavagirl, We Can Be Heroes, and my personal favorite Shorts have all made their marks as uniquely entertaining presences in the family film landscape. This made it all the more disappointing when the prior attempt at a sequel, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World was created with a clear lack of enthusiasm. Although it’s definitely unnecessary, I’m glad to see Rodriguez redeem his franchise with Spy Kids: Armageddon.

Spy Kids: Armageddon follows a new brother-sister duo, Tony (Connor Esterson) and Patty (Everly Carganilla), who discover their parents (Zachary Levi and Gina Rodriguez) are spies, embark on an adventure to save their parents from a failed mission, and become spies in their own right. The plot is absolutely a retread of many ideas from the original Spy Kids trilogy, but Rodriguez plays things in such a fun way that it’s a non-issue. The villain, like Sylvester Stallone in Spy Kids 3D before him, attempts to use video games as a tool for evil. It’s a goofy premise, but that’s where Rodriguez thrives! Add in Billy Magnussen having a great time in the role, and it just works.

The new duo taking over the Spy Kids role isn’t perfect, but they’re clearly having a very fun time and that translates to their on-screen energy. Zachary Levi, coming off of a lot of negative press (almost entirely his own doing) and an extremely disappointing sequel of his own earlier this year, proves that he is still capable of portraying a likable character.  Gina Rodriguez is very fun opposite him, and there’s definitely a palpable comedic energy between them (although obviously nothing on the level of Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino). And as previously mentioned, the magnetic Billy Magnussen steals the show as a maniacal video game developer.

Unlike in the last film in the franchise, the signature Rodriguez energy is present here. The imagination-fueled cartoony visuals are all here, even if they do feel a little off. I’m not sure why they didn’t hit like usual for me, but I’ll chalk it up to the movie being sent straight to streaming instead of receiving the theatrical release it absolutely deserved.

Perhaps that’s the real issue here. The film rehashes a bunch of the concepts, tropes, and sequences from the original Spy Kids trilogy for a newer generation, but they don’t land as well due to the constraints of a straight-to-Netflix release. And it’s a shame! This isn’t the first time either, as his successor to Sharkboy & Lavagirl, We Can Be Heroes, suffered the same unfortunate fate. That being said, it is still a win that the Rodriguez brand of family film is alive at all when much weaker fare dominates discussion and box office. I hope Rodriguez continues to provide his signature brand of entertaining family films in the future, but next time a bit fresher and on the big screen. 

7/10