The first film is the only one to bother with, the second was okay and the third was awful, I did not have high hopes for this fourth instalment, which in 4D meant for cinema goers meant 3D effect and smelling or feeling things, not for me watching on TV, directed by Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, Sin City). Basically Marissa Wilson (Jessica Alba) on the surface appears to be just an ordinary mother with a new baby and married to famous spy hunting television reporter Wilbur Wilson (Joel McHale). Her intelligent twin stepchildren Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (The Lone Ranger's Mason Cook) don't want her around, thinking she is uncool, in fact, with her husband unaware, she is a retired secret agent. Her true identity is only revealed to Rebecca and Cecil when they enter the underground layer of the house, full of spy gadgets and gizmos, and they become entangled in a world domination plot, the maniacal Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven) threatens to take over the planet by slowing time. Marissa is wanted back in action by the Organization of Super Spies (OSS), home of the greatest spies and where the now defunct Spy Kids division was created. Rebecca and Cecil are surprised by the revelation of their "boring" stepmother, and with their bickering ways they must put their differences aside and work together to save the world, and they get help from former Spy Kids, now teenagers, brother and sister Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) and Carmen Cortez (Alexa PenaVega), and robotic talking dog Argonaut (voiced by Ricky Gervais). In the end, after defeating the Time Keeper and his identical henchmen, Danger D'Amo and Tick Tick (both also Piven), time is intact and restored, and the Spy Kids program is revived, with Rebecca and Cecil going on to become recruiters of new agents. Also starring Danny Trejo as Uncle Machete, Chuck Cureau as News Anchor and Jeepers Creepers' Jonathan Breck as Wilbur's Boss. The previous instalment was a complete mess, it crossed the line between expensive trash and cheap rubbish with its use of special effects, unfortunately things have not improved with this fourth instalment, the special effects are pointless when you combine with a predictable and stupid story, I perhaps tittered at the voice of Gervais and some spoof references, but the charm has disappeared and it feels like the kids themselves are responsible for putting it together, this is one the kids and the family should not even bother with, a crap fantasy action adventure. Pretty poor!
