Part of Staff Picks and programmed by Grant, who says: “Bask in the early-2000s-CGI glory of Robert Rodriguez’ over-the-top film anchored on just one simple premise: ‘What if James Bond was nine years old and his uncle was Machete?’“
Two young kids become spies in an attempt to save their parents (who are ex-spies) from an evil mastermind. Armed with a bag of high tech gadgets and out-of-this world transportation, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara) will bravely jet through the air, dive under the seas and crisscross the globe in a series of thrilling adventures on a mission to save their parents… and maybe even the world.
“It's an exuberant, colorful extravaganza, wall-to-wall with wildly original sets and visual gimmicks, and smart enough to escape the kids film category and play in the mainstream… SPY KIDS is so endlessly imaginative, so high-spirited, so extravagant with its inspirations, so filled with witty dialogue, that the more you like movies, the more you may like this one.” —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (Mar 30, 2001)
“[Writer-director] Rodriguez has made a family movie with broad appeal to kids and adults alike, the rare kind of movie that doesn't dumb it down for the kids and won't embarrass grownups who come to see it sans familia. Kids are the stars of this movie and are treated as such: Events occur from their point of view, and they are the agents of their own rescue.” —Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle (Mar 30, 2001)