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Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 5, age appropriate for kids over 7; suggested age 7.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    An imaginatively joyous adventure.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 7 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Strong, smart, brave female and Hispanic characters
  • Violence & scariness:

    Peril and action-style violence, no one hurt
  • Sexy stuff:

    None
  • Language:

    Mild language with one almost-four-letter word
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    None

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams was written by Nell Minow

Parents need to know that there's some brief gross-out humor (most kids will love it) and some tense peril (no one gets hurt). Everything that appears very scary at first turns out to be friendly and cooperative. As in the first film, the movie is outstanding in showing women and Latinos in key roles.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about the President's daughter's feelings about not getting enoough attention from her father. What do you think about Juni's advice to her? What do you think will happen? We see three different families in the movie. How are they different? How do you think Gary's view that "a good spy makes no binding connections wth family or friends" makes him feel as a son? As a spy? If that is your rule, how do you know who to trust and how do you know what is right? How have Carmen and Juni changed since the first movie? Why was it hard for Ingrid's parents to accept Gregorio? What should he do about that? How do both Carmen and Juni and their parents show their need to be independent?
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More on Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams

What’s the Story?

Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) are back in SPY KIDS 2, and they're now full-time operatives of the spy organization OSS and its new kids unit. After a close call involving the President's young daughter and their top competition, the Giggles siblings, Gertie (Emily Osment) and Gary (Matt O'Leary), Carmen and Juni get the chance to prove themselves and save the day once again. At a big party, the Giggles kids' father is mysteriously appointed director of the OSS, all of the adults are knocked out by drugged champagne, and the all-important Transmooker device is stolen. The Giggles kids are assigned to get it back, but the Cortez kids substitute themselves and are off to a mysterious island. On the island, they have to keep ahead of all kinds of strange creatures and the Giggles. A mad scientist (Steve Bucscemi) has been using the island for genetic experiments, and he has stolen the Transmooker. The Transmooker turns off anything that works with electricity, so the kids have to solve most of their problems with the two things that do work -- their brains and the last gift from their gadget-master uncle Machete, a rubber band. He tells them that it has "999 uses, and you have to figure out which one to use."

Is It Any Good?

Hurray for Spy Kids 2, an imaginatively joyous adventure. Like the first one, this is fresh, funny, exciting, and brilliantly inventive. The OSS party scene is simply marvelous, as a cordon of Secret Service agents move from side to side in perfect formation to allow the President's daughter to have enough space for her ballet dance.

It was sheer inspiration to bring in another generation of spies, with the magnificent Ricardo Montalban and Holland Taylor as Ingrid Cortez's parents, far more terrifying for Gregorio than the most powerful of bad guys. The story sags slightly toward the middle, and the part with Cheech Marin (who has appeared in all of the movies made by screenwriter/director Robert Rodriguez) seems awkward and unfinished, as though some scenes are missing. It is still a wonderful family movie. I just hope they make another one every year.

Movie Details

Studio: Dimension, Director: Robert Rodriguez
Run time: 100 minutes
Theatrical release: 08/07/2002, DVD release: 02/18/2003
MPAA Rating: PG for action and mild language

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Parent Reviewer
    I rate this title off for age 3 and give it 3.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    Not as good as the first spy kids, scary for little ones.

    Watched this with my 3 1/2 year old after he loved the first Spy Kids movie but it was way to scary for him.

  2. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in Tennessee
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

    luv it

    i love it

  3. I rate this title on for age 6 and give it 3.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Negative role models
    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    .ok

    my cousin little cousin loves this show but i'm not crazy about it.

  4. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language
    • Negative message

  5. I rate this title off for age 5 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language

    There WAS a 4-letter word! The S word. I was shocked!

  6. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

    This movie was full of adventure and action. It was funny and great!

    I think this movie was intresting and funny. It was great and had a lot of action in it. Well not that much but it was great. i loved it. it was about these kids that know about a lot of ideas of how to plan a great plan they had. i liked everything in it. There wasn't anything i didn't like. it was good, funny and not scary. i enjoyed everything they showed. i didn't hate anything.

  7. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

    A whole lot of fun

    I really liked the movie. Even my Dad who rarely takes me to movies thought it was fun. But still I liked the first Spy Kids a bit more.

  8. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 4.0

    This adventure is a good one, really tense and exciting...

    This fun kids movie pulls you to the edge of you seat and grasps you into the plot. I definitely would see this one again, though it's not my personal favorite. I think kids ages 6-11 will really love this one...

  9. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Colorado
    I rate this title off for age 0 and give it 0.0

    Flat

    This movie features two kids who are trying to be cool with their "spy flick" (crap!) Terrible movie. This involves a freak scientist who unleashes monsters onto the island. Furthermore, a bunch of adults are trying to take over, but lose to 2 kids. Dumb, and they are tring to make this movie "cool". Don't waste your $$.

  10. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 4.0

    A great sequel to a great movie !

  11. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

  12. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in Connecticut
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 2.0

    Boo! Crappy story! It TRIES to be cool, but ends up being a drool.

    Oh, yeah, I loved this when I was a kid, like eight or seven or something. But now I watch it again and I realizen how lame it is. Yes, its imaginative, but it just isn't very intelligent and its sort of predictable. The only thing that saves this movie is the eensy-weensy bit of fun in it and the gadgets. Kids will love it but for anyone who has matured- its boring and very corny. Parents, there is, of course nothing offensive here, just a little action violence. Your kids will love it, but those who are mature will hate it.

  13. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it 1.0

    scary for young or sensitve kids

    the gadgets are cool it's great the kids use their brains to solve problems everything works out in the end; but is the path they take for resolution really necessary? many times the characters treat each other in mean, condescending, put-downish ways there are many dangers that pop up to surprise/scare you. so, young or sensitive kids will get scared

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