Spy Kids: Armageddon review – A good time for good kids

❘ Published: 2023-09-22T13:08:58

Netflix

Spy Kids: Armageddon is a perfectly serviceable kids movie, but perhaps it is only for very young wannabe spy kids.

Spy Kids is a franchise that people remember both for good and bad reasons. A pinnacle of early 2000s media, the movie series boasted a start-studded cast, while also helming laughable CGI and cheesy kids’ action movie style antics.

It’s a surprise that it’s taken this long for the series to get a reboot, but it’s finally here, with Spy Kids: Armageddon landing on Netflix today.

And while the movie is hardly likely to make a memorable impact, it certainly does enough justice to the originals. Let’s get into it, but first: Mild spoilers ahead!

Spy Kids has all the necessary gadgets you’d want

When it comes to Spy Kids plots, this is actually one of the better ones. See, when the children of spies accidently help a game developer unleash a computer virus that controls all technology, they must become spies themselves to save their parents and the world.

The fact that this is a Spy Kids reboot actually allows for some wiggle room with its faults. For example, the iffy CGI, cringy dialogue, somewhat unnatural acting, and simple message are all things which could be knocks to the movie. However, when considering that these were the building blocks of the original franchise, sheer nostalgia turns these faults into charming attributes.

The acting’s unnaturalness can mainly be attributed to the dialogue, as for the most part, the actors are doing okay. The child acting from leads Connor Esterson and Everly Carganilla is certainly better than most, and the villain (Billy Magnussen) clearly knows what movie he’s in and is absolutely having fun with it.

The poor CGI is at least often explained away by the film’s video game centric plot, and said plot very much caters to its audience of young children – though arguably to the point where it states that playing video games will fix the world and is a better alternative to prison.

Spies are meant to have good morals, right?

Kids films, specifically kids films for very young kids, are always very clear with their morals, jarringly so. Spy Kids: Armageddon is once again no different, though these morals are often at war with the film’s plot. Firstly, it’s hard to tell whether or not the villain would fix the world with his plan, and it’s even harder to figure out if the movie actually vindicates him by the end.

The film’s main moral of being honest and kind is of course a good message you’d want a child audience to learn, but when placing it into a film about spies, the moral actually takes away the coolness of the movie’s main concept.

But the movie definitely does succeed in empowering kids. The Spy Kids franchisee has always pushed children to the forefront and placed them on equal footing with the adult characters, allowing a young audience the chance to feel like they can make a difference in the world. All while showing you cool gadgets which will no doubt be found on future toy shelves.

Spy Kids: Armageddon review score – 3/5

Spy Kids is a perfectly serviceable kids movie, which will easily keep your tots entertained.

It’s unlikely that this film will be remembered in the way that its predecessors are – it’s pretty much the norm now that any Netflix original movie will fade into obscurity – but it certainly gives enough for a fun afternoon of spy-ing with your kids, all while teaching them – to varying degrees – lessons you’d want them to learn.

Spy Kids: Armageddon is currently available to stream on Netflix. You can check out more of our Netflix coverage below: