The Spy Next Door Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Spy Next Door Blu-ray Movie Review

“I’ve brought down dictators…How tough can three kids be?”

Reviewed by Dustin Somner May 12, 2010

We can all thank Arnold Schwarzenegger for ushering in a new era of Hollywood’s finest action stars taking the leap into children’s cinema. Prior to Kindergarten Cop, Last Action Hero, and Jingle All the Way, the idea of a muscle-bound hero giving up his machine gun for a bottle of milk likely seemed absurd. Yet somehow Arnold pulled it off, and inadvertently helped create an entirely new brand of action film. Look no further than Vin Diesel (The Pacifier), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (The Gameplan, The Tooth Fairy), or Ice Cube (Are We There Yet), and you’ll gain a better understanding of the phenomenon I’m referring to. That’s not to say all action stars have the ability to make that leap (I could never imagine Jean Claude Van Damme or Steven Segal in a children’s production), but some of the graceful stars seem well equipped to play the nurturing “fish out of water” role.

Jackie Chan is one of the few action stars that simultaneously made his name in action and comedy, reflecting a mixture of styles made popular by the Chinese martial arts genre. In fact, his career as a serious actor tackling non-comedic roles is almost entirely grounded in Chinese cinema, where he’s known as more than just a jovial guy with amazing acrobatic skills. This release of The Spy Next Door doesn’t mark the first time Chan has landed a role in a youth-oriented production, but it does signify a move toward a preteen audience without much exposure to his prior work. From a personal standpoint, I find it difficult to beat his high-flying stuntwork, amazing agility, and uncanny likeability in any domestic or foreign production, but I can’t say I was enthralled with the idea of him moving on to a younger audience as he ascends into his twilight years. Regardless, I suppose a mildly-compromised Jackie Chan is better than no Jackie Chan.

Recently retired CIA agent Bob Ho (Jackie Chan) has his work cut out for him. After a lengthy career waging war on international terrorists hell-bent on world domination, Ho turns his undivided attention to his neighbor/girlfriend Gillian (Amber Valletta) and her three young children. Unfortunately, all the training in the world can’t prepare him for the impossible task of winning over the hearts and minds of Gillian’s kids, who want nothing to do with Bob. In order to remedy the situation, the ex-spy offers to take the kids for a week while Gillian travels out of town to visit her injured father. This initially proves more than Bob can handle as he juggles the responsibilities of accepting a role as the substitute parent of thankless children. To make matters worse, he’s informed by his ex-partner within the CIA (Billy Ray Cyrus) that a notorious Russian criminal (Magnus Scheving) escaped from prison shortly after Bob put him away. After agreeing to take a stab at deciphering an encrypted code related to experiments conducted by a Russian organization, Bob inadvertently allows one of the young children to download the file on his Ipod, placing a large target on their sleepy suburban neighborhood. Now, Bob must save Gillian and the kids from Russian hit men, and have everyone tucked in by bedtime. Just a typical day in the life of a spy…

In order to evaluate The Spy Next Door in a fair light, I made every effort to leave my brain at the door and simply focus on whether or not the film will appeal to young children. As an adult, it can be difficult not to overanalyze every minor slip up, or ask for a significant dose of originality from a story that was designed for a simplistic purpose. At the end of the day, the one question parents want to know is whether this will hold their child’s attention for the full 94-minute runtime, or will they come running into the kitchen with a bored expression after the first fifteen minutes. My response to that question would be a definite yes for young boys, but only a lukewarm recommendation for young girls. Anyone familiar with Jackie Chan will expect plenty of prop-filled martial arts action, but given the younger target audience of this feature, the amount of blood or significant injury is kept to a minimum. Bad guys are incapacitated time after time, only to appear in the next scene with a bandage on their cheek or a prominent black eye. Parents concerned about the level of violence should know this is still a film built on violent comedy (the PG rating was awarded for that reason), but despite throwing young children into hair-raising scenarios, I was never given the impression anyone was in real danger.

In addition to the well-staged action sequences and entertaining physical comedy of Jackie Chan, I was impressed with the acting from the three young stars of the film (Alina Foley, Will Shadley, and Madeline Carroll). Little Nora is a sweet, loveable child who’s convinced Bob is a cyborg; Ian is a genius geek struggling to find acceptance among his grade school peers, who connects with Bob over mutual interests and a fascination with the idea of one-day becoming a spy; and the eldest daughter Farren takes her stepmother’s love for granted, choosing to believe her biological father will return for her someday. This last relationship proves the most difficult in Bob’s quest for acceptance, since Farren’s not looking for another male figure to take her father’s place. Looking at these three characters, and the actors behind the performances, I’m confident most young members in the audience will sympathize with the growing pains the children endure as they gradually build chemistry with Bob, and parents will appreciate the subtle positive message strewn throughout.

As with most films of this sort, you’ll have to accept the negatives along with the positives. In the case of The Spy Next Door, those negatives are named Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez. I’m assuming the addition of Billy Ray Cyrus to the main cast was a blatant attempt to attract the “Hannah Montana” fanclub, so I’m willing to forgive his wooden performance as a byproduct of that decision. However, I can’t figure out what kind of pull George Lopez garners with the target audience for this film. I realize children are far more forgiving when it comes to the acting department, and perhaps he was the cheapest familiar face they could nab for the role of CIA director, but he never brings much to the table, and occasionally allows Jackie Chan to look like an accomplished actor.

The other glaring flaw worth noting is the shoddy use of wire-work on several of Jackie Chan’s scenes. Considering how long Hollywood’s been using wires on action films, you’d expect a greater sense of realism in the incorporation of wire-enhanced sequences. There are times when Chan doesn’t even bend down to simulate a jump, yet mysteriously flies ten feet into the air (as if he’s wearing a rocket pack). Another perfect example of what I’m talking about is a scene inside a large mall, where Chan uses a streamer from a Halloween decoration to swing to a lower level. The streamer never pulls tight (which one would expect if his weight was on it), and when he almost reaches the lower level, it’s obvious they missed the length calculation for his wire harness. As with other negative aspects of the film, this area will likely go unnoticed to younger viewers, but I’ve witnessed enough kung-fu movies to know when something appears out of place.

The Spy Next Door Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 17Mbps), The Spy Next Door offers an average visual presentation. Fine object detail rarely ventures into exceptional territory, but aside from several extremely weak moments, the resolution holds up quite well. Looking at the clarity within facial features or subtle surface textures, you'll often notice intricate details that rule out extensive DNR, maintaining decent definition. Moving along to a discussion of the color palette, the film retains a naturalistic spectrum that occasionally ventures into icy blue territory. This slight push maintains the stylistic elements incorporated in several of the tech-heavy environments throughout the film, which contrast with the warm spectrum of Bob's "normal" life. Those of you with an aversion to film grain might find the occasional presence of a thick grain field problematic, but it rarely became overly intrusive or noisy, and I'm pleased there wasn't tampering to remove it. On the downside, the singular aspect of the transfer that prevents this release from obtaining a higher visual score relates to weak black levels and contrast. There aren't a significant number of nighttime shots throughout the film, but when they do occur, most viewers will notice areas of black crush that obscure shadow detail. The same effect can be witnessed in daytime shots (or well-lit interiors), leaving dark fabric with little to no differentiation across varying surface textures. A perfect example appears in the first scene where we're introduced to the vivacious villain Creel. Her skin-tight black outfit initially appears as a one piece leotard of some sort, but morphs several shots later into a separate top and bottom outfit with different textures.

As we're aware, the target market for this release won't likely notice the nitpicks I've pointed out regarding the visual quality, but at least videophile parents will have an idea of what to expect.

The Spy Next Door Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Spy Next Door takes the phrase "over the top" to new heights of child-friendly fun. Chock full of outlandish gags, wild special effects, and rousing stunt choreography, the film quickly establishes itself as a demanding venture from an audio standpoint. Thankfully, the lossless audio track never skips a beat, delivering substantial surround separation, excellent clarity, and aggressive LFE incorporation. Whether Jackie Chan's fighting international terrorists or learning to cook breakfast for three young children, sound effects are sent flying in every direction, creating an immersive surround field that places the audience directly in the heart of the action. When the action steps aside in favor of quiet, dialog-driven moments, the audio mix shifts gears with ease, delivering every word of dialog without fail. Naturally, there are still moments when the lack of fluidity in Jackie Chan's English requires additional audience effort in order to understand the lines, but I never felt the weight of the dialog was off-balance with the rest of the mix. In closing, we can't forget the important role music plays in a film geared toward children. With classics such as "Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers, and "One Way or Another" by Blondie, the lively soundtrack and musical score will have your kids humming for hours after the ending credits role.

The Spy Next Door Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Jackie Chan: Stunt Master and Mentor (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 10:14 min): Members of the cast and crew discuss the fight choreography and physical gags throughout the film, and reminisce on the relationship between Jackie Chan and the three child actors.

Adventures in Action with the Kids of The Spy Next Door (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 11:09 min): The three children from the film are interviewed regarding their acting careers. It's not the most enlightening supplement, but it's a decent inclusion for children hoping to eventually break into the acting business.

Blooper Reel (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 3:16 min): Considering this supplement is also included at the conclusion of the film (prior to the end credits), calling it a bonus seems a bit pointless.

In case you're a parent with a minivan entertainment system, Lionsgate included a bare-bones DVD to accompany the Blu-ray disc.

The Spy Next Door Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Spy Next Door may not stand as one of the better children's offerings in the past decade, but it's still an entertaining action-adventure for pre-teen boys. Jackie Chan is an obvious choice for comedies targeting a young audience who thrives on high-flying action, making this an easy purchase for any parent of a budding martial arts star. However, the extensive violence coupled with espionage themes may turn away young female viewers, so a rental may be the best course for anyone on the fence.