Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Kids will love it, but adults may find it flat.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that unlike the inventive and funny Spy Kids and Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over plays almost entirely inside a video game. Other than Juni and friends trying to shut down the game and save the world, there's very little story. Instead, it's a series of attacks, disappearances, wins, and losses that carry the heroes from one game level to the next. High-tech danger comes in the form of giant robots, molten lava rocks, troops of evil toys, explosions, light saber attacks, and crashes, some of which may be scary for the youngest kids. Messages about teamwork and family are consistent with the first two films, but are spoken more often than played. Latino characters are once again in the forefront, and the Cortez kids' wheelchair-using grandfather has an important role. 

  •  

    Introduces the concept of kids' vulnerability to the allure of technology. The villain hopes to control the world by keeping its youth captive to the wizardry of video gaming.  At the same time, almost the entire film takes place in a slick virtual world, and what could be more alluring than that? The movie also makes a case for the positive results of teamwork, loyalty to family, forgiveness, and charity, and finally, asserts that revenge doesn’t solve problems.

     

  •  

    Assorted members of one Latino family are the heroes here. The Cortez grandfather is in a wheelchair (in the real world), and his disability is discovered to have both positive and negative consequences.

     

  • Nonstop cartoon action from beginning to end. All of the battles pit the Cortez kids and their allies against the evil Toy Maker who is trying to trap them and hold them forever captive to "the game." The heroes and their friends face menacing robots, threatening animated toys, flying obstacles (including fiery lava rocks), mutiny within the ranks of the kids who are supposed to be their friends, and the destructive campaign of a power-hungry toymaker who is bent on evil.
  • Not applicable.

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?

 

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 nonstop loud, hurtling, special effects, most of it is like one long computer game, with one set of pixels fighting another. Kids probably won't mind, though parents have plenty of better options.

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.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the excitement around the new game release. Kids: How do you find out about new games coming out? What tools do companies use to get you excited about a new product?

  • How is disability portrayed in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over

  • What are discussions about leadership take place in the movie? Is it important for there always to be a leader? What are some of the traits of a good leader?


This review was written by Nell Minow
April 9, 2008
 
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.

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Teen, 16 years old
October 22, 2011
 
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!

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
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.

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Teen, 16 years old
January 17, 2010
 
the best spy kids movie yet!
the best one yet!

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Adult
January 9, 2010
 
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.

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Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
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

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Parent
August 26, 2011
 
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.

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Teen, 14 years old
November 7, 2009
 
another cute movie
great for all ages best of the whole series and very cute movie

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Great movie my friend should see this.

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Kid, 10 years old
May 15, 2011
 
Good movie
Saw this when I was younger, loved it.

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This review was written by Nell Minow
Topics:adventures, book characters
Studio:Miramax
Director:Robert Rodriguez
Cast:Alexa Vega, Antonio Banderas, Daryl Sabara
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:85 minutes
Theatrical release date:July 25, 2003
DVD release date:February 24, 2004
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:action sequences and peril

This review was written by Nell Minow
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
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