April 1, 2001, updated August 12, 2001 -- (Note: This is a review of both the original release of the film, and the "Special Edition" re-release of August 10, 2001.)

"Spy Kids" is a smart, upscale, slick comedy adventure film that has something for everyone from kids to adults. For the kids, there is broad, slapstick comedy and eye-popping special effects. For adults, there are many clever jokes made at the expense of the spy film genre. Most of these jokes will go right over the heads of most kids. For instance, one evil character played by Tony Shalhoub, is actually named "Minion" At one point, he puffs up with pride and says, "That's Mister Minion!". At another point, a character is trying to issue a hurried command to a computer under a tight deadline. Suddenly, computer monitors all over the room flash the words, "too late" in very large letters just as the crestfallen character makes the same announcement.

This sure-fire hit film, written and directed by Robert Rodriguez of "From Dusk 'Til Dawn," has super spies Gregorio Cortez (played by Antonio Banderas of "The 13th Warrior") and Ingrid Cortez (Carla Gugino of "Snake Eyes") being captured by enemy agents. It is up to their children, Carmen (Alexa Vega of "Deep End of the Ocean") and Juni (Daryl Sabara), to save them. The parents had managed to keep their spy business a secret from their children up until the time of their capture. After their parents are captured, however, the evil forces go after the children in an attempt to locate a device called "the third brain."

The children, left pretty much on their own, have to make a daring raid on the enemy stronghold to free their parents. The kids use elaborate gadgets, like flying rocket packs, submarines, jet planes, electric chewing gum and underwater gear to get away from bad guys and reach their parents. The special effects in the film are top-notch. The enemy lair (which looks like a giant shoe) is like a big combination obstacle course and maze, complete with a "virtual room." It is more like a carnival fun house than an actual headquarters. That's because the whole purpose of this film is to create adventure and fun. The production design by Cary White ("Gettysburg") and art direction by Ed Vega ("Selena") are excellent. The sets are wildly imaginative. There is a message about the importance of family, but the film doesn't beat you over the head with it.

Director Rodriquez does a great job of setting the story up, with a bedtime story, no less, and then creating and sustaining a brisk comic action pace for the rest of the film. All the actors seem to be having a lot of fun with this story. Even Danny Trejo of "Reindeer Games," who usually plays the heavy, gets to play a good guy as the kid's Uncle Machete. Shalhoub seems to be having a blast playing the evil Minion as does the normally restrained Robert Patrick of "All the Pretty Horses," who plays the evil Mr. Lisp. Alan Cumming of "Get Carter") plays a complex character named Fegan Floop. The talented Cheech Marin has too small of a role in the film, but Hispanic roles are well-represented in this film, which happens to be coming out at a time when the census tells us white non-Hispanics have become a minority in California. Teri Hatcher of "Tomorrow Never Dies" also appears in the film as the evil Miss Gradenko. The kids also do a fine acting job in the film as do Banderas and Gugino as the parents.

You'd have a hard time finding anything in this film to complain about. The violence is minimal and the language is O.K. There's one near four letter word that is cleverly turned into a mushroom joke. It is rated PG, but it would be hard to find a film less offensive than this one. The stunts and special effects are way over the top. After all, you can't really fly jets and pilot flying jet suits without training. You can't build an army of lifelike, superhuman robots in a few days with today's technology. It is all impossible, but it is in good fun. It is so light, the emotional stakes are so low, it has the emotional impact of a soap bubble, but yet, it is the best family action comedy film I've seen since "Chicken Run." This film rates a B.

The "Special Edition" has one noticeable addition, a scene in which the spy kids swim through a shark-infested, underwater cave. According to Upcoming Movies which quotes Variety and USA Today sources, the film's limited budget reportedly kept the scene out of the original release because of the high cost of post-production effects needed to finish it. Since the film became a big hit, money was freed up to finish the scene and include it in the "Special Edition" release. Other than that, I saw few changes between the original and the "Special Edition" re-release.

I hope that movies aren't going to employ some of the same techniques that corporations are using to wrest more money from people on DVD sales. Lately there has been a proliferation of "directors cuts" and other special packages for DVD movies. That means if you buy the first release, you will miss out on the extra stuff that is added later. The idea is to get you to buy more than one copy of a film. The original film was shot on a budget of about $38 million, which is a very small budget for a film that looks a lot more expensive. This cements director Rodriguez's reputation as a guy who can work inside a tight budget. His first film, "El Mariachi" was shot on a microscopic budget of a few thousand dollars. Studio executives must love this guy. Rodriguez is currently working on a "Spy Kids" sequel due out next year.

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