In the Middle of the Action: Spy Kids 3D: Game Over DVD

By Jonathan Berohn

Before you consider buying “Spy Kids 3D: Game Over,” you should consider a few things. The plot is…mind numbing, the acting is…well beyond over the top, and the live action production values are…weak. Seems like a slam-dunk right into the old circular file. And yet there is something to Spy Kids 3D that makes it a fascinating movie for kids and tolerable for adults (ok, almost tolerable—if you take a break or two for refreshments and sanity). That something is the 3D computer animation.

Spectacular Effects

Ordinarily, 3D animation in a kids’ movie raises a red flag for me. The big problem I find with a lot of it is that it just doesn’t fit in with the rest of the movie. In Spy Kids 3D, despite its other flaws, the plot of moving the action inside a virtual reality game frees the movie makers to take as many liberties with reality as they want, and they make good use of. They actually also manage to pull off a pretty good use of 3D technology. Things coming whizzing out of the screen at just the right time, and they do it pretty convincingly, too. You do have to wear one of the 4 pairs of glasses that come with the DVD, but my kids—at least—viewed that as a plus. The filmmakers also have the good sense to put a 2D version of the movie on disc 2 in case your kids lose the glasses or you tire of the 3D extravaganza.

In any case, the effects carry the day for this movie, which is a good thing because Ricardo Montalban couldn’t be more wooden and Sylvester Stallone couldn’t be more moronic. Again, this didn’t seem to bother my kids as they couldn’t get enough of the giant robots, whacky racers, and thrilling lava surfing that keep the movie fast-paced and exciting for the younger set. The filmmakers do try to make one nod toward the adults by giving a brief a cameo to Elijah Woods, but the jokes seem more self-congratulatory than funny.

DVD Extras

The DVD does come with a couple interesting special features. Notably a music video/street concert by aspiring singer Alexa Vega (she plays Carmen in the movie) and an interesting making of documentary. I particularly enjoyed the scenes from the documentary where you get let in on some of the cheap (in more than one sense of the word) tricks the crew employed to keep costs down. All in all, though, Spy Kids 3D is good fun for kids—especially as it appeals to both boys and girls. I like the first 2 installments in the series better, but this one has a place among fun movies to throw in to amuse your kids.