Full Review

Director Robert Rodriguez scored big in 2001with the original "Spy Kids," which followed the exploits of the clandestine Cortez clan, a family of secret agents whose idea of "quality time" was saving the world from zany villains. The series stutter-stepped in 2002 with the less-than-impressive sequel, "Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams," and has fallen flat on its sprockets with the third installment.

This time around, young Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara), who, for some unspecified reason has opted for very early retirement, disenfranchised with the whole spy gig, is running a private-eye operation out of his top-secret tree-house. But he is recruited back into service by the OSS when he learns that his big sister, Carmen (Alexa Vega), is in peril. During a debriefing he discovers that Carmen -- actually, just her mind --was captured while on assignment to hack into and shut down a dangerous video game which controls the consciousness of any child who plays it, the dastardly handiwork of an evil mastermind known as the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone).

At OSS headquarters Juni is hooked up to a pair of high-tech glasses which will allow him to enter into the computer-generated world of the Toymaker's game -- sort of "my first Matrix" -- in order to rescue his sister. Juni's glasses resemble those handed out to audience members, allowing them to experience the majority of the film in 3-D. Flashing on-screen instructions let viewers know when to put the glasses on and when to take them off.

Once inside Juni must find his way to the fourth playing level, which is as far as Carmen got before she was caught. In order to advance from level to level, he must win various competitions in which the victor moves ahead and the loser is deleted from the program -- game over.

Accompanying him on his mission is his grandfather (Ricardo Montalban), who, though wheelchair bound in the "real" world, takes on a Buzz Lightyear-looking superhero persona in the game's digital domain. Juni's allies also include a trio of "beta-testers" -- cyber-savvy kids who try out video games before they are released on the market -- who mistake him for "the Guy," a player of unparalleled skills, who will lead them to the storied treasure at the end of the game, an adolescent allusion to Neo of "The Matrix."

Juni later discovers that the Toymaker, who had once worked for the OSS before turning to a life of crime, is the man responsible for his grandfather's crippled condition. What Juni doesn't know is that the Toymaker is leading him to his lair in order to escape out of the game, which the Toymaker himself is imprisoned in, and wreak more havoc on the outside world.

The film quickly plummets toward its ridiculous climax, a silly let's-all-save-the-day-together scene which allows brief, perfunctory cameos by the adult Cortez couple, Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino, as well as by characters from the two previous films. It also provides the perfect opportunity for the obligatory Cortez hugfest, with heavy-handed lessons learned about family and forgiveness.

The first installment struck box-office gold by cleverly marrying imaginative special effects to a smart, entertaining story which did not insult the intelligence of its young viewers. The secret of its appeal was that it resisted the temptation to put the visual cart before the narrative horse. This time around the narrative horse is nowhere to be found -- not even as glue, which would at least have been helpful in holding together the threadbare plot. Instead the filmmaker jettisons story in favor of gimmicky, fun-house tricks, the sign of a sagging series.

Sadly, the 3-D environment is saddled with a flat narrative and populated by one-dimensional characters. Stallone is the sole exception, playing several different loony characters -- splintered personalities of the schizophrenic Toymaker -- with glee. If you are going to embarrass yourself, you might as well have a good time while doing it.

In an ironic twist, the film, which sets out to save kids from a sinisterly addictive video game, itself takes on the visual tone of a video game -- and will without doubt be followed by a preordained addictive video game marketed at youngsters, completing the self-fulfilling cycle.

As in the earlier films, "Spy Kids 3-D" imparts a positive message about the importance of family, clearly condemning vengeance and extolling forgiveness. It also touches on human dignity issues involving the grandfather's handicap. However, these laudable sentiments are consistently undermined by the film's saccharine sentimentality and preachy tone.

One hopes "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" will live up to its title and truly signal the end of the line for this franchise -- but that's highly doubtful. Can you say "Spy Kids: Reboot?"

Due to some menace as well as some mild action sequences, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested.

These movies have been evaluated for artistic merit and moral suitability by the media reviewing division of Catholic News Service. The reviews include the CNS rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.

The classifications are as follows:

A-I -- general patronage;
A-II -- adults and adolescents;
A-III -- adults;
L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
O -- morally offensive.

Note: Some movies previously were designated A-IV. Older films with this classification should be regarded as classified L.