Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, 2002

Additional Captures

Writer and Director: Robert Rodriguez

Distributor: Dimension Films and Troublemaker Studios

Co-Stars: Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabada, Steve Buscemi, Ricardo Montalban, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Mike Judge, Matt O’Leary, Emily Osment, Holland Taylor

Release Date: August 7, 2002

2002 brought us the second installment of Robert Rodriguez’s “Spy Kids” trilogy which Robert Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times described as “James Bond For Kids!”

Having established themselves as ‘spies in training’, Carmen and Juni are anxious to take on their first big assignment on their own – getting themselves tangled in a battle with the two children of Donovan Giggles along the way. When the daughter of the President ‘steals’ an important Transmooker from her father’s office, Carmen and Juni find themselves in a race against the Giggles kids to retrieve the powerful device, which can stop all technology.

Their search for the Transmooker leads them to a mysterious island populated by strange, mutated creatures….the result of Dr. Romero’s (Buscemi) genetic experiments gone awry. Having discovered that their children have gone missing, Gregorio and Ingrid set out on a mission of their own to find Carmen and Juni aided, begrudgingly, by Ingrid’s parents (Montalban and Taylor).

The fact that Robert shot the entire movie in digital enabled him to shoot quickly and efficiently while providing the viewer with a whole new ‘look’ including colors, clarity and the inevitable special effects. Viewers will get a kick out of references to other popular movies at the time, including the “Lord of the Rings” triology.

While Antonio’s screentime is more limited in this film than in the original “Spy Kids”, he brings life and energy to every second that Gregorio Cortez is on screen. Especially humorous are his interactions with his in-laws and an action sequence toward the end of the film.

Reviewer Comments:

“At every level, it is crystal-clear that Spy Kids 2 is a labor of love concocted by one ingenious mind. While most Hollywood projects feel weighed down by committee compromises and group decision-making, Rodriguez's escapade feels like a true storyteller's adventure.” - - Mary Kalin-Kasey, Reel.com

“Director Robert Rodriguez has once again caught lightning in a bottle.” - - James Berardinelli, REELVIEWS