Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (PG, 2003)

common sense media says

Kids will love it, but adults may find it flat.


parents & educators say
  • 50% say there are positive role models
  • 50% say there are positive messages

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie has constant action violence, including a character who explodes. The movie has good portrayals of minority, disabled, and female characters.

Violence & scariness: Action violence and peril; no one hurt. Mild peril.
Sexy stuff: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about Juni's grandfather, who wants people to look at him when he is in his wheelchair the same way they do when he can walk. They could also discuss what he says to the Toymaker about forgiveness. The Toymaker's game has "the children's attention" and wonders what they are learning. Who has your family's children's attention, and what are they learning? One interesting point that almost disappears in the noise is whether Juni is "the guy", a sort of chosen leader, like Neo in The Matrix or Luke in Star Wars. It's worth talking to kids about whether it matters to Juni, to the other kids in the game, or to the outcome if he is "the guy" or not. Families can also talk about the reality/perception/fantasy issues raised by the movie. Why is it important that the kids Juni meets in the game look so different when he meets them in real life?

What's the story?

What's the story?
In SPY KIDS 3-D: GAME OVER, an evil man called the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone) has created a computer game called "Game Over," and Carmen Cortez (Alexa Vega) somehow gets lost inside the game. If her brother Juni (Daryl Sabara) cannot shut down the game before it goes on the market, the game will enable the Toymaker to take over the world or worse. In the game, Juni meets up with beta testers and battles Demetra (Courtney Jines) in gladiator-style combat. He develops a crush in both senses of the word as he slams her avatar-robot around in between gazing longingly at the way that fetching lock of hair keeps falling in front of her determined but sparkling eyes.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
The special effects may be in 3-D, but the story is flat, and there is very little of the quirky humor of the first two movies. This one is just non-stop loud, hurtling, special effects, most of it is like one long computer game, with one set of pixels fighting another.. To be scrupulously fair to the sensibilities of its target audience, I must admit that halfway through this movie my 8-year-old godson leaned over to me and whispered, "This is AWESOME!" I wish I could say that I felt the same way.

The first two Spy Kids movies combined brilliantly imaginative visual effects, thrilling (but not too scary) action, silly fun, and a lot of heart. With this last in the series, writer-director-editor-producer-composer Robert Rodriguez is either so enthralled or so overwhelmed by the 3-D technology that he forsakes the essentials of plot and character. We also miss the characters of the first two. Many of them appear only in brief cameos that are merely distracting. Stallone plays four parts-- all of them badly.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Miramax
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Alexa Vega, Antonio Banderas, Daryl Sabara
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 85 minutes
Theatrical release: July 25, 2003
DVD release: February 24, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: action sequences and peril

This review was written by Nell Minow
 
 

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What parents & educators say

7
Based on 4 parent & educator reviews:
  • 50% say there are positive role models
  • 50% say there are positive messages

Most useful reviews by all members

kevin
teen, 15 years old
 
good movie for little kids..
I must say this 3-D movie was very childiish and I reccomend this to age 2-6. I enjoyed the first 2 better.

super movie ...
teen, 15 years old
 
the best spy kids movie yet!
the best one yet!

hypemiitrudog07
teen, 16 years old
 
DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!
My favorite by far. When Juni's sister Carmen gets stuck in a game on a mission, Juni must rescue her before the game gets distributed by going in the game. Before I say anything else, if you saw Spy Kids 4, than it may have seemed cool at first, but it was a total let down and this one is not! There obviously is a bunch of violence, like a really intense drag race, a robot fight, a sword fight, a lava surfing scene, and other stuff that would make the film really intense (especially in 3d). there are some things that do sound a little scary. one of them is a game-over (when a character loses all of their lives) and a few threats. on the side of sex, Juni has a crush on a girl (who does get a game over). there are 5 things that you can talk about: 1. everyone is your family 2. why did Juni's grandfather want to speak with the toy maker 3. how you view people 4. why a girl got a game over for Juni 5. what were the characters' motivations This review is not intended to be a spoiler, but I hope that you enjoy this film!

 
Appropriate for kids, but just plain awful.
This movie contains some violence and brief mild profanity, but contains entirely positive messages about forgiveness and friendship. That said, it's not anything that is worth watching. This movie is nothing like the first two. I didn't like the first two myself, but I respect them for the fact that they at least were enjoyable to most people, and thus did not judge them. This movie, however, is just plain bad. The movie is poorly directed, poorly written, poorly choreographed, and basically poorly made. I hate to give it such a low rating, but that's just how it needs to be.

 
The 3-D graphics were interesting. There was little plot. Dialogue was weak. The child-spies used mild profanity, were disrespectful of each other and adults and other children they encountered. There was a lot of fighting.

 
Good But Strong
As one of the first film with almost all 3-D, I really liked this movie. I feel though, that some of the language is incredibly racy for a little children's movie. Deep consideration should be used to decide whether or not your child can handle this intense barrage of language.

skidoo 4001
teen, 16 years old
 
hate to say this but...
thumbs down, unlike the first two movies it had no humor and was just kind of boring hate to say but yeah it was boring. now i liked the first two but i think this ws kind of dumb

Don-flowkie
kid, 10 years old
 
the best
it's fantastic

VForNoVendettas
kid, 10 years old
 
Good movie
Saw this when I was younger, loved it.

Miranda ...
kid, 11 years old
 
The best spy kids yet!
I love spy kids!

musicfan789
teen, 14 years old
 
another cute movie
great for all ages best of the whole series and very cute movie

Shinjo
adult
 
This movie was ok, funny at times, but also a bit dull.
This movie is the story of another adventure for the Spy Kids. It's got a lot of the same things as the other Spy kids movies, but in a different setting. I thought it was worth watching once or twice, but no more than that. It's a good movie for kids ages 5-8.

dmack
teen, 18 years old
 
Great movie my friend should see this.

the vampires
teen, 17 years old
 
i love alexa vega
i love it

rebma97
teen, 14 years old
 
didn't like it as much as 1 and 2
i loved the first 2 movies but this one was my least fave. The plot wasn't as interesting. Younger kids might find the 3D scary. I think this is a more tween movie (6-8) but not really a family movie

Swit Swat
kid, 12 years old
 
Perfect movie!
An awesome spy movie that is better than the first two! There is some violence, but its not really intense. There is a talk about boyfriend and girlfriend at the middle of the movie. This was a cool movie that I am sure you will enjoy!

413804
adult
 
Disappointing
Crappy Conclusion to the first two. The directors just wanted to try out 3D effects. Made my head hurt as a first grader.

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
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