Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over

Plot synopsis:
Juni Cortez, after stopping Donnagon from activating the EMP device, has retired from the OSS, no longer wanting to work for them. He now lives a quiet life and works as a private detective, although his salary is very little. One day, he is contacted by President Devlin, former head of OSS, who informs him that his sister, Carmen Cortez, is missing after a mission gone wrong. Upset about this, Juni returns to the OSS to learn more about his sister.
Arriving at the technological and computer part of the OSS, he is reunited with a now reformed Donnagon Giggles and his wife Francesca, who explain that Carmen was captured by the Toymaker, a former OSS informant. The Toymaker was imprisoned in cyberspace by the OSS, but he has since created Game Over, a virtual reality-based video game which he intends on using to escape cyberspace via players that reach Level 5, which is unwinnable. Juni agrees to venture into the game, save Carmen, and shut down the game, given only twelve hours to win. He is also informed that his sister was last seen on Level 4.
In the game, which takes place in a full 3D environment, Juni finds the challenges difficult, having only nine lives within the game and already losing one at the start. While roaming a cartoon-like medieval village, he finds three beta-testers, Francis, Arnold, and Rez, who provide him with a passage to the Moon and launch him into space, but mostly to get rid of the competition.
Juni lands on the Moon, losing another life at the process, and receives an opportunity to bring in a fellow ally to assist him, selecting his wheelchair-bound grandfather Valentin, who has a personal history with the Toymaker. He receives a power-up which gives him a robotic bodysuit, allowing him to walk and possess superhuman strength and durability, and abandons Juni, telling him that they will regroup later. Searching for the entrance to Level 2, Juni ventures into a robot battle arena where he fights a girl named Demetra in order to return to Earth and Level 2. In the fight, he receives a robotic, more powerful suit, and he is placed on a huge mecha to combat Demetra. In the 3-round fight, in which he loses another life, he defeats Demetra and returns to Earth.
He meets the beta-testers again who believe he is a player named "The Guy", who can supposedly beat Level 5. Rez is unconvinced and challenges Juni to a "Mega-race" involving a multitude of different vehicles, which will allow them on Level 3. The only apparent rule of this game is "Win, at all costs." Juni wins the race with help from Valentin, and Demetra joins the group; she and Juni display romantic feelings for each other, with him giving her a med-pack with extra lives and she provides him with an illegal map of the game. Upon entering level 3, Arnold and Juni are forced to battle each other, the loser getting an immediate game over. During the fight, Juni loses almost all of his lives, but Demetra swaps places with Juni and is defeated, seemingly getting a game over, much to Juni's sadness.
The group arrives at Level 4 where Juni finds Carmen, released by the Toymaker, who leads the group on. Carmen notices their grandfather is with them and tells Juni that the Toymaker is the reason their grandfather is in a wheelchair. Juni follows a map to a lava-filled gorge. The group surfs their way through the lava. The OSS finds out about the history between the Toymaker and Valentin. Fearing that Valentin might seek revenge, Donnagon attempts to prevent them from reaching Level 5, but fails, as they fall into the lava and discover that lava does not mean the game over, but that it is actually possible to swim, and they reach a cavern where they find the door to Level 5. Outside the door to Level 5, Carmen informs them that they only have 5 minutes left. After the other gamers start to think that Carmen and Juni are deceivers and Rez threatens to give Juni a game over, the real "Guy" appears and opens the door. However, he is struck by lightning as part of a booby trap set by the Toymaker when the door to Level 5 is breached, which makes him lose all of his hundred lives and get a game over, forcing the group to move on without him.
In the Level 5 zone, which is a purple-ish cyberspace, Demetra then appears, claiming to have gotten back into the game via a glitch but Carmen identifies her as "The Deceiver", a program used to fool players. Demetra confirms this and apologizes to a stunned Juni before the Toymaker attacks the group with a giant robot. Valentin then appears, holding the entrance back to the real world open so the group can escape. However, he cannot come with them since someone needs to hold the door open. Demetra, shedding a tear, quickly holds the door open so he can go with them. After their return though, it is revealed that Valentin released the Toymaker, with the villain's army of robots now attacking a nearby city.
Juni and Carmen summon their family members: Parents Gregorio and Ingrid, Gregorio's brother Machete, their Grandma, and Uncle Felix. With too many robots to handle, Juni calls out to their "extended" family (or "everyone", as Juni puts it), summoning characters from the first two films (including Fegan Floop and Alexander Minion, Dinky Winks and his son, scientist Romero (plus a Spork), and Gary and Gerti Giggles). All the robots are destroyed except for the Toymaker's. Valentin confronts The Toymaker, and forgives him for putting him in his wheelchair, which he had been trying to find him to do for 30 years. The Toymaker shuts down his robot and joins the rest of the Cortez family and their friends in celebrating their families.

Tags: psychedelic, entertaining, violence

Review:
I started watching this film in 3-D (I had a 2 dvd set) but the glasses were a little uncomfortable and the colours looked funny all the way through.
The plot is pretty thin (it's never really clear what the attraction of the game is or what the Toymaker even wants) but it sets up a colourful and enjoyable little ride through a computer game - which is delivered pretty well despite all it's silliness!The main weapon in the Spy Kids' cannon is it's stars - both actors and director.
Rodriguez is a very good director when it comes to style and action and his influence makes this film a lot more fun than others likely would.
It's all a bit silly of course but the 3-D gimmick is a little bit heavy at times (like the old films in the 50's that had actors punching at the screen) but it isn't that bad.
The out takes at the end made me realise how good the performances were - it just never dawned on me that, although I knew it wasn't real, that 95% of this was shot on greenscreen - making acting to anything that little bit harder.Overall, this is a silly film but it is one that kids will love.
This third installment of the popular `Spy Kids' series is like its predecessors in that it's high-tech, high-energy, high-fun, and high on the pro-family moral messages.
Juni catches up to her with the dubious help of a few experienced beta test players, who are determined to reach the 5th level on their own.The true essence of the film is to simply show the video game, and with the 3D glasses, the 80% of the screen time that game consumes is definitely fun and worth the ride.
The funny thing is, `Spy Kids 3D' makes no attempts to hide the fact that the only reason for the film is to show game.
To wit, the plot points are meaningless, even to the point where the script itself acknowledges it: Juni asks why the Toymaker is caught in the game, and the answer is a humorous hand-wave, `Oh, it just happens.' The plot and characters are hurriedly scooted along to the start of the game, which then goes on and on and on, till the end, when scores of famous cameo appearances pepper the screen, all having fun and making statements about the importance of family, and yada yada yada.Oh, it's not that there is anything wrong with such pro-family messages.
But conspicuously downplayed are the genuine circumstances and feelings that were the impetus in the first, and best, of the Spy Kids trilogy.The 3D aspect of the film involves wearing glasses that give depth to the objects on the screen.
I can only assume that this was intentional, so as to give the video game its own sense of other-worldliness, which again, was nice.With all its wild-riding and fun, Spy Kids 3D is just a movie for kids, unlike the first of the series, which was much smarter and hence, enjoyable by adults, too.
As for the ending, well, it's main purpose was to create an excuse (and not a very good one) to have cameos by everyone who was in the first two movies (allowing them to list Bandaras first in the credits even though he's on screen for only a couple of minutes), and the final showdown is so utterly moronic that words fail me.At the same time, I didn't actually hate it.
Relying on gadgetry, bravery, family bonds and lightning-quick reflexes, the Spy Kids must battle through tougher and tougher levels of the game in order to save the world from a power hungry villain.
Instead of the usual 3-D films of today, which are mostly boring large screen pseudo-documentaries, or specialized environment theme park rides,: Spy Kids 3-D is a compelling franchise that the whole family can enjoy with added dimension that makes it even more exciting.
Instead of the usual 3-D films of today, which are mostly boring large screen pseudo-documentaries, or specialized environment theme park rides,: Spy Kids 3-D is a compelling franchise that the whole family can enjoy with added dimension that makes it even more exciting.
Even though the film was theatrically presented in eye straining anaglyph format (red and blue), which, to date, is the most cost effective for a mass theater release and shot on a 24p 3-D High Def system (VIDEO) introduced by James Cameron, I found myself immersed enough in the story and just having fun with the genre to not really care.
Even though the film was theatrically presented in eye straining anaglyph format (red and blue), which, to date, is the most cost effective for a mass theater release and shot on a 24p 3-D High Def system (VIDEO) introduced by James Cameron, I found myself immersed enough in the story and just having fun with the genre to not really care.
I never saw Spy Kids 1 or 2, and i have been very sceptical of this franchise despite being a fan of Robert Rodriguez, but when i saw this i enjoyed it, it had me laughing frequently with over the top, acting and cheesy dialogue, i found the plot to be fairly standard as far as movies go, but i enjoyed the direction the movie took, it started off as a bit of a film noir, kinda like Bugsy Malone, but then it all changed when the lead character goes into the game.
I also like the cameo's in the movie, especially Antonio Banderas and Elijah Wood's brief roles.Maybe cos i play games a lot i found this movie to be entertaining, but i still think it's worth a look from anyone who enjoys a bit of comedy, and for anyone who plays games for that matter..
I like all 3 Spy Kids movie but part 3 is the best!.
I have all 3 Spy Kids movies on DVD & Spy Kids part 3 (3-D) is the best one because it have lots more action than part 1 & 2.It a really good movie about Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) had to go back to be a Secret Agent from a private eye when he retire from the end of part 1 to save his sister Carmen Cortez & stop the Toy Maker (Sylvester Stallone) from breaking out of the game world.I know all 3 Spy Kids movies are great but Spy Kids 3-D is way more action than part 2.This movie is really a great movie for age 5 to adult & it a fun movie for the whole family.I am still hoping that they will make part 4 in the future..
I was bored the other night and thought to myself, "I have never seen a 3D movie before and all the hype they are giving to Spy Kids 3D, I should go check it out."  I bought my ticket not expecting a good plot but at least expecting decent special effect and a 3 Dimensional experience.The special effects were crappy- The movie would have been better if they either had just shown the green screen instead of the virtual world or if the grandfather had died.
One last thing- these people that make movies for kids can't use their audience as an excuse for stupid crap like this.
If your children seriously want to watch a good movie show them something of actual quality.Personally I think that the rating of 4.1 is extremely generous to say the least..
2nd spy kids movie is awaste of time.
SPY KIDS 3D: GAME OVER(2003)*** Daryl Sabara, Alexa Vega, Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Bandares, Carla Gugina, and Samla Hayek.In this 3rd Spy Kids film, Juni must go into a virtual game to rescue his sister, Carmen.
I don't see why people aren't liking this spy kids movie.
This movie, in my opinion, is not a "great" movie which has you super-engaged, but it is very good for what I think it was meant to be.It has very fast-paced, creative, and cool-looking action scenes and Daryl Sabara does a great job acting out Juni in an "entering-the-teens" stage of his life.Sylvester Stallone is funny but some of the kids in supporting roles are not so good.Alexa Vega (Carmen) is left out of the movie till the end and I like it that way.
Those 3-d glasses hurt the eyes and they don't work!By the way, are there any news or rumors about a possible spy kids 4?
It's Tron 30 years later!The glasses were a little annoying, but I've always wanted to see a 3-D movie, and the effects were so cool!
This movie continues the family-oriented Spy Kids series, which are exemplified by Robert Rodriguez's exuberant visual style, along with heavy doses of tongue-in-cheek humor and a consistent grounding in positive values, especially mutual support within one's family.
This is probably my favorite Spy Kids movie because of the bad guy who is the badass Sylvester Stallone.
Aside from Stallone, the movie was great and it felt like I was in the game the entire time.
It's up to Juni (Daryl Sabara) to save his sister, and the world.I'll admit from the off that I enjoyed the first two movies, and I love both Vega and Sabara, I find them to be a joy to watch.
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over was filled with breathtaking special effects, well-put-together story lines, and excitement.
Ideas from Star Wars Episode I Racer video game and Danny Kaye's The Inspector General (1949) made it very amusing, and seeing Elijah Wood for a few hilarious moments was a plus It also showcased the acting talents of Ricardo Montalban, Sylvester Stallone and George Clooney, who are normally known more as action heroes than good actors.
Overall, this film was much better than the previous two, and deserves a viewing from any kid or teenager who enjoys action, humor, and good clean fun..
I credit Robert Rodriguez for keeping the cast and the film light, and for using the 3D effects usefully but I do say that he does go over board in certain scenes in the movie.
In addition to the old theme, 'its all about the family', this one actually takes on another theme that no matter what you look like or if you are handicapped (Juni's Grandpa), what matters the most is what's inside and kids need to learn that.I do agree that 3D glasses were awful.
First of all I have never watched anyone of those "Spy Kids" movie series.
All I know is that I attempt to watch "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" because I was awake, with nothing better to do and I knew that there's a big and great cast in it.
Result: A boring movie and visual video game played by director Robert Rodriguez with a pathetic ending.
It's like "TRON" except that this time the former spy boy Juni (Daryl Sabara, a tiny version of Jensen Ackles with almost the same angered expression) must enter into a dangerous video game created by a sarcastically villain (played by Sylvester Stallone, totally hammy) that kidnapped Juni's sister (Alexa Vega).
The whole film is Juni trying to figure out a way to reach the next level and save his sister, with the help of some friends and his grandfather (Ricardo Montalban, the only good performance here).
I hated this one, hated "Speed Racer" and the only one I really liked of this new wave of movies was "Captain Sky and The World of Tomorrow" (needs a urgent sequence) because that was great, had a interesting plot, the visual concept was incredible and it resurrected Laurence Olivier (it's archive footage of one of his films but that's OK).
I'll give him credit for getting the little tykes back into the theater one last time, but as a film, Spy Kids 3D is as painful an experience as any adult might ever have to experience.
Time to put your scarlet and cyan glasses on folks.Now I'm not normally one to quibble with small details in a movie obviously meant for the youngest of kids, but if I'm going to suffer a headache and queasy stomach for the sake of a film, I would like for the writer and director to at least connect the dots.
It doesn't take long for it to become tiresome, to your eyes, your head, and your stomach.If all this wasn't bad enough, the villainous Toymaker and his other personalities(all played by Stallone), controls the actions of the players inside the video game, then makes decisions that actually help them win it instead of having them figuring it out on their own.
It's too bad the script doesn't give him anything to do that makes any sense.The funny thing about Spy Kids 3D, is that Rodriquez actually had a clever idea.
The first two Spy Kids movies were pretty good kid flicks, but this is something put together from scraps of film found on the floor somewhere.The idea wasn't half bad.
Robert Rodriguez never used the plot other than to say 'hey, what if we can throw in some bad 3-D and sell lots of tickets?'Playing the game, a VR game called 'Game Over', playing it through to the end, could have been a pretty good movie, with the bad guy and the lost Carmen at the final confrontation.
And Sylvester Stallone as the Toymaker and the various incarnations of the Toymaker's fractured personality was humorous.I think it was quite misleading to put Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino as stars of the film when their roles were actually so small as to be an afterthought.Maybe Rodriguez wanted to make the third film before the kids grew up too much, but another month or two writing a real script wouldn't have made much of a difference.Bottom line:Don't waste your time.
I expected to receive the same kind of cool duo fun you got in Spy Kids 1 & 2 for SK3-D....."How wrong was I!"SK3-D is nothing more then a stupid gimmick to sell 3-D effects!Alexa Vega does not even show up in the movie until 40 minutes into the duration and when she does has very little dialogue, This movie is 87 minutes long and should have been called "Spy Kid: Juni's Adventure" he was the main star!
But as somebody who had not seen any Spy Kids movies before this, I really had fun.
I've had fun watching people play certain video games, so this was just like that, but in 3-D, which again I say is a good enough gimmick to pay $10 to see.From what I do know about the previous 2 movies, I don't like the excessive amount of characters that had been used.
I got a giggle out of the Tetris pieces used to make platforms, and out of how much one of the actresses resembled the artwork for the heroine of every one of the Final Fantasy video games...kind of appropriate.The child actors were, in general, surprisingly watchable - I would've liked to have seen more of Alexa Vega in the film, honestly - and Ricardo Montalban and Sylvester Stallone were well matched against each other.
I had the feeling that a couple big chunks of the film were missing - some exposition at the beginning would have been nice, and the resolution of the "video game" part of the movie felt very, very rushed.
The only good thing about this movie are the special effects, and Sylvester Stallones somewhat amusing performance has the Toymaker.
This is all a real shame after the first Spy Kids which, they not great, at least gave the children their OWN film rather than something for the child in us to enjoy.
The movie was absolutely good and some parts were funny to me in my own little way like the scene when Rez gave Carmen his e-mail address (In case).The thing that I didn't like was the 3-D glasses.
I actually thought the first two Spy Kids films were innovative and enjoyable, with credible storylines, but the plot just never happened in this one.
For the past 10 years I have seen just about every kid's movie that has come out and this one was probably the most disappointing.
I enjoyed the first two "Spy Kids" movies, but this one lost much of it's charm by reducing the screen time for Alexa Vega(Carmen), Antonio Banderas(Dad) and Carla Gugino(Mom).
Oh, and his special effects look great, as usual.Unfortunately, it feels as if Rodriguez only wrote enough movie to get the characters into Level 5 and then ran out of time, energy, money or willpower to give them the ending that they deserved.
That's how much I love the movie.If there ant going to be anymore Spy Kids, Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara should make more other movies together because they are wonderful together.
Me and my wife took the kids to see this 3D turkey a few hours ago and let me say this movie was so bad that I stopped watching several times just because I was embarrassed for the actors.
Now the kid actors do need some acting lessons, but it is still a good movie.
Spy Kids 3 is one of the most painful movies I have ever seen.
Without a doubt, the worst of the Spy Kids movies (and I thought the first two were bad), this film would have been a complete letdown except for the fact that I had no high expectations to be let down.
'Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over' is just a fun summer movie..
On that note I sat down(with my 3-D glasses) and got ready to have a good time watching this film, which I did.
It is a short film, running time of an hour and forty minutes, but like I said above, it's a kids movie.
Regardless of how rushed it may feel, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over does do what it promises, gives you a fun time in 3D.