4.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.3 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
On the surface, Marissa Cortez Wilson has it all...married to a famous spy hunting television reporter, a new baby and intelligent twin step kids. But in reality, trying to mother Rebecca and Cecil, who clearly don't want her around, is her toughest challenge yet. Also, her husband, Wilbur, wouldn't know a spy if he lived with one which is exactly the case -- Marissa's a retired secret agent.
Starring: Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Jeremy Piven, Rowan Blanchard, Mason CookFamily | 100% |
Adventure | 88% |
Comedy | 60% |
Action | 31% |
Sci-Fi | 23% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (2 BDs, 2 DVDs)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
You have to live moving forwards, not back.
Three words to sum up Spy Kids: All the Time in the World? "For the kids." Robert Rodriguez’s latest installment of the pint-sized secret agent
franchise
is tailored to the youngest of audiences. It splashes cool gadgets and special effects across the screen and almost seems to exist just to do that. It’s
extraordinarily flashy, colorful, and fast-paced. The story does gradually morph into something that’s a slight bit more involved than perhaps the very
youngest of viewers will be able to fully comprehend, but that’s not a major problem. This Spy Kids movie is all about fantasy and
make-believe, about gadgets and gizmos, about those nifty special effects and vibrant colors. The plot is a device to hold it all in place and maybe keep
the
attention of the older viewers for a bit longer beyond the first act. Certainly adults are going to find the movie a dismal experience, lacking in basic
storytelling elements, character development, and the like, but sorry mom and dad, you’re not the target audience. Spy Kids: All the Time in the
World
is showy enough to entertain the kids, nothing more and nothing less. It’s built for an audience around the same age as its grade-school heroes, and
that audience is sure to love all
the razzle-dazzle Rodriguez has up his sleeve.
Spy Adults.
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World arrives on Blu-ray with both 2D and 3D 1080p transfers, both housed in the same single set (there is no
individual 2D-only release at this time). The 2D presentation is everything a glossy HD kids-centric special effects film should be. It sports dazzling
colors, the transfer delivering a veritable rainbow of hues that do take on a slightly warm tint -- that's also evident on most flesh tones -- but that
dazzle
at every turn with their brilliance and balance. Detail is exceptional. The image is perfectly crisp and abundantly clean; only trace amounts of noise
interfere with the cleanliness and smoothness the image yields. Facial textures are excellent, and general surfaces -- from the family fireplace to
close-ups of
complex time pieces -- are always sharp and complexly presented. This is no doubt a detail-oriented image. Black levels are excellent throughout, too.
Very slight banding is the only mark against the transfer. No doubt about it, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World is a real looker on 2D Blu-ray.
The included 3D disc is itself no slouch. This is one fine extra-dimensional high definition presentation. It's not quite perfect and some of the 3D
effects
are not quite able to produce that "wow!" factor, but it's a stable, steady, and oftentimes even delightful 3D image that's one of the better ones
around. It
sometimes looks like characters go somewhat flat surrounded by a 3D world, but general depth is readily evident and perceptible throughout. The
opening car chase -- one of the most unique in history at that and possibly the first to feature the micro "Smart Car" -- delivers some intense
street-level 3D visual effects that do a good job of placing the viewer in the middle of the high speed action. Aside from the general depth, everyday
objects take on a very natural, shapely appearance. Hospital chairs, scattered objects throughout the family's living room, and other assorted odds
and ends
take full advantage of the 3D characteristics, enjoying volume and shape on a flat screen. Unfortunately, many of the shots meant to create those
"dazzling" "jump out of the screen" effects don't work quite as well as planned. Some of them just don't produce much of a discernible effect, but a
few
do. Nothing, however, seems to very easily pop out of the screen. There are a few dizzying effects that are only enhanced in 3D, like the high-speed
flying chase sequence in chapter five. The complex movements, high altitude, and 3D effect will either dazzle viewers or give them headaches, and
maybe both. The real pleasure here is the image's natural depth and its general stability. It retains all of the positives of the 2D-only version; for
once,
a 3D transfer is no noticeably darker, softer, or lacking in color or detail when compared to its 2D counterpart. This is a strong Blu-ray 3D release from
Anchor Bay.
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World features a dizzyingly active DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This is head-spinning, sometimes ear-splitting, all-out material, the perfect companion to such a colorful and effects-laden kids movie. High energy, plenty of volume, and crazy constant surround use are all stables of Anchor Bay's fun soundtrack. Sounds travel around the soundstage -- front to back, side to side -- with regularity; there's rarely a dull moment anywhere in the movie. There is no shortage of swooshes, zips, and zooms. The entire soundstage becomes a room full of heavy churning gears in one critical stretch; the mechanical movement is wonderfully recreated in sound, as the mechanisms move gears of all sizes through every speaker in the configuration. Music, too, enjoys no shortage of surround support, all the while maintaining a satisfying crispness and clarity throughout the movie. Bass is heavy but not obnoxious, supporting everything from those churning gears to the thumps and thuds accompanying punches, kicks, and the bad guys' oversized energy weapons. There's just no shortage whatsoever of power and seamless 360-degree activity. Dialogue is about the only element that stays rather still. It's centered in the middle front speaker and, for as raucous as this track is, the spoken word is never lost under the excess of sound elements. This is a very satisfying track from Anchor Bay.
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World contains a few short 2D-only supplements. There is no bonus content included on the 3D-only disc.
Anyone in search of a thoughtful, comprehensive, meaning-of-life substance movie should avoid Spy Kids: All the Time in the World. The movie has its own style, its own values, its own rules, and its own audience. It won't change lives, but it will entertain the young ones for a good eighty-some minutes, not really all that much time, but at least it's a decent little diversion, even if it does go a bit overboard with the fart and smell jokes. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Spy Kids: All the Time in the World features a stunning 2D transfer, a high quality Blu-ray 3D presentation, an immersive and fun lossless soundtrack, and a few supplements thrown in for good measure. Recommended for the kids.
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