So after two successful movies in this franchise where was director Robert Rodriguez going to go? How about in your face? Yes after the first two films the next logical step, especially since the newest 3-D craze was kicking off, was 3-D. And, as always, Rodriguez does it better than anyone.
This time around we open with Juni now retired from the OSS and working as a private eye. But that all changes when he’s called back in. It seems his parents are off on their own mission and his sister is being held captive inside a video game. Not physically captive but mentally. The only person with enough skill and knowledge to take on the game is Juni.
The game itself called Game Over, was created by the Toymaster (Sylvester Stallone) and his main reason for creating it was to capture kids around the globe. It seems that anyone who can make it through the initial first four levels to the fifth is placed in a world of mind control there is no escape from. So Juni must get to level 4 where his sister Carmen is being held captive, rescue her and then the pair must shut down the game.
Along the way Juni goes through various tests/games on each level and meets a series of other players as well. These are the beta testers, each one with a different function that will help Juni. One is smart, another strong and the last cool. This group picks up an additional helper later on when Juni faces off against another player named Demetra. He defeats her but she knows he’ll need her help as the game progresses.
With only so many lives to use getting through the game, Juni keeps finding himself losing them one by one. He does get a great assist though when he’s allowed to call one person in to help him. His choice? His grandfather. While his grandfather is confined to a wheelchair in the outside world, here he has full function of all his limbs and abilities. He also brings something to the table Juni wasn’t aware of. You see, it was the Toymaker who was responsible for grandfather being in the wheelchair to begin with.
With a few twists in the story, an amazingly created world of combat for game players and in imagination that seems to know no bounds, Rodriguez has come up with the perfect film for 3-D. Rather than have the non-stop use of 3-D to have people poke their fingers at you from start to finish (though there are a few of those moments) he allows the special effects items in the film fly out. Splotches of goop and more fly at the camera. Now, the truth is I didn’t watch this movie in 3-D as I don’t have a 3-D television or blu-ray player. But you know when you see it what is and isn’t 3-D. And with due respect, you can tell it would work well here.
The cast does a great job as well and it’s interesting to watch as the different young members have grown before our eyes. You get the feeling that Rodriguez thought this might have been the last of the series when you see various cast members from the other two films turn up, everyone from Alan Cumming to Bill Paxton. Each plays an important part in the films ending sequence.
Had this been the last it would have been a fitting swan song. But it wasn’t! There’s a new SPY KIDS movie in theaters now (or just leaving depending on when you read this) that employs a new set of kids. The others return but have aged to the point where you couldn’t quite call them kids anymore. If the series stays as creative and interesting as it has in the past, who knows how long it could go on? Perhaps as long as the James Bond series? Only time will tell. In the meantime we have at least the first three on hand in blu-ray format to enjoy.
On an ending note to the reviews of this series, each one contains some great extras including Rodriguez’ “10 Minute Film School” shorts that shows how he economically saved money on each film and came up with some fantastic effects that turned out better than if he’d used more money. Give all of these movies a watch.
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