Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Blu-ray

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over

 (2003)

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Under-age agents Juni and Carmen Cortez set out on their newest most mind-blowing mission yet: journeying inside the virtual reality world of a 3-D video game designed to outsmart them, as the awe-inspiring graphics and creatures of gaming come to real life. Relying on humor, gadgetry, bravery, family bonds and lightning-quick reflexes, the Spy Kids must battle through tougher and tougher levels of the game, facing challenges that include racing against road warriors and surfing on boiling lava, in order to save the world from a power hungry villain.

For more about Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and the Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Blu-ray release, see the Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Blu-ray Review

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Ricardo Montalban, Holland Taylor
Director: Robert Rodríguez

» See full cast & crew

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, December 7, 2012

Note: This title is currently available only in this edition: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over / Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D.

You might be forgiven if you come away from Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over wondering if writer-director Robert Rodriguez simply was jonesin' for a Tron remake and wasn't about to wait around for Disney to get to it (which of course they ultimately did with Tron: Legacy). Like the Disney semi- franchise, a lot of Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over takes place within the virtual confines of a videogame, and also like Tron, winning the "game" means eventual freedom and release back into the "real world" (that being a decidedly relative term in any Robert Rodriguez film). When the film was first released in 2003, 3D technology still meant utilizing those relics of the fifties, red and cyan colored glasses, and many people found the film's 3D positively migraine inducing (I am one of those people who always had very problematic reactions to watching 3D in this older format, one of the reasons I've been so appreciative of the much easier to take RealD process). Even putting aside the 3D element, however, (as Lionsgate did with their previous Blu-ray release of the film, Spy Kids 3: Game Over), viewers might be inclined to experience another kind of headache, one borne by this film's manifest shortcomings in developing a compelling story, as well as the very derivative quality that will remind more than a few of Tron in either of its iterations.



As with so many of Robert Rodriguez's films, there's a certain "meta" aspect at play in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, especially when the film starts with a supposed bedtime story of sorts read by Alan Cumming as Fegan Floop, a story which more or less sums up what we're about to witness. Cumming also lets us in on the 3D gimmick, letting us know we'll be told when to put our glasses on. It's charming, but it's also incredibly self-aware, even self-conscious, something that tends to hobble Rodriguez's efforts from time to time. When we quickly segue to the story itself, things pick up considerably. This particular Spy Kids outing is a showcase for Daryl Sabara as Juni Cortez, as he carries the bulk of the film on his young shoulders, with Juni returning to OSS service when he's informed that his sister Carmen (Alexa Vega) has been captured by the nefarious Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone in a very funny performance) and transported into a virtual world controlled by the evil mastermind. Images of David Warner and Master Control may be dancing through some readers' minds at this point.

The bulk of Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over takes place within the confines of the videogame where Juni is transported in order to track down and release Carmen. Immediately upon entering the game world, Juni finds a bunch of other kids there, three of whom become Juni's putative buddies in figuring out how to win Level 5, the ultimate showdown in the game. Before Juni gets to that showdown he of course has to overcome several other obstacles, and ultimately he pulls his own grandfather (Ricardo Montalban) into the game for assistance.

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over is another riot of green screen technology, done on the fly in Rodriguez's relatively small scale studio. The effects here may not be Pixar perfect, but they're incredibly whimsical at times, with everything from huge jumping frogs descending on Juni to megalithic robots to, later in the film, a horrifying (but awfully fun looking) lava floe that the kids need to navigate. The visual ingenuity only helps to point out the dearth of actual story telling at play here, especially when the film descends into absolute ripoffs of Tron, as in a multi-vehicle race that literally looks like it was ported over from the first Disney film.

The real surprise here is Stallone, in a goofily wonderful performance that is just laugh out loud funny a lot of the time. The Toymaker isn't exactly a model of mental stability, and his various alter egos show up and begin debating with him, including one moment that has a great 3D punchline (emphasis on the punch). Stallone proves himself to be a rather formidable comedian, and despite the kind of wink and nod-fest that the Expendables movies are, he might want to pursue more out and out comedy roles as he moves into this later part of his career. He's a very winning presence here, nicely summing up the cartoonish ambience that is the best part of this middling entry in the Spy Kids franchise.

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with both MVC (3D) and AVC (2D) encoded 1080p transfers in 1.78:1. A lot of viewers complained about Rodriguez's The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in its original anaglyph 3D theatrical presentation, especially since those old style "red-cyan" glasses robbed the image of so much color. The weird irony here is that Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over is kind of desaturated to begin with, so even with the newer 3D technology at play, the palette here doesn't always pop with the vivacity that some might expect. With that somewhat minor issue put aside, the rest of the news is mostly very good indeed. The basic image here is incredibly sharp and well defined, with excellent fine detail in midrange and close-up shots.

There's a lot of "meta" talk in this film about the headaches that 3D technology creates, and even with the easier to assimilate newer 3D technology used here, this is still such a relentlessly "in your face" presentation that some more sensitive viewers may have problems at times, especially when so much visual information is coming straight out toward the viewer. I personally had a few issues at various points in the film, but I have always had an intense sensitivity to 3D. My display revealed some significant crosstalk at the very edges of the frame (something that also cropped up in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl), but only when there were objects right there and in the foreground. Rodriguez loves 3D technology and he thrusts all sorts of objects out at the viewer with abandon. It may simply be a bit too much for some.

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over features a wonderfully aggressive lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that really explodes once Juni enters the game world. All sorts of bizarre electronic sounding effects populate the surrounds, and in such standout sequences as the race (as derivative as it undeniably is), there are some fantastic panning effects as well as some fulsome LFE. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented, and is also rather widely skewed in various sequences, adding to the immersion. Fidelity is top notch and dynamic range is extremely wide.

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

• Audio Commentary With Director Robert Rodriguez. This is another highly entertaining commentary from Rodriguez, a writer and director who seems to understand both the confines and opportunities the format of the commentary provides. Nicely balanced between technical information and more anecdotal elements, this is fun and informative in equal measure.


• Robert Rodriguez Ten Minute Film School (SD; 9:52) focuses on green screen technology, which Rodriguez renames Dream Screen.


• The Effects of the Game (SD; 6:41) takes a look at some of the CGI and other VFX in the film.


• Alexa Vega In Concert (SD; 9:59) includes "Game Over", "Heart Drive" and "Isle of Dreams" from the film's world premiere in Austin, Texas.


• The Making of Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (SD; 21:14) is a better than average EPK-fest, with lots of interviews, behind the scenes footage and clips from the film. There is some interesting info on the then current 3D technology which Rodriguez was exploiting in the film. There;s also some fun background on the first 3D films like Bwana Devil and House of Was.


• Surfing and Stunts (Multi Angle) (SD; 1:10)


• Making Tracks with Alexa Vega (SD; 1:00) isn't the best advertisement for her singing skills.


• Theatrical Trailer (SD; 2:00)


• Big Dink, Little Dink (SD; 1:40) is a quick featurette with Bill Paxton.

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

Rodriguez experienced the law of diminishing returns with each of the Spy Kids films, and this third entry is probably the overall weakest of the original three. That's ameliorated somewhat at least by the inventive production design and especially by Stallone's hilariously over the top performance. This new 3D presentation is an eyeful (and a half), and fans may want to revisit the film now to see if with this newer technology the 3D experience is a bit easier to take. The film itself is something of a hit or miss affair, but this Blu-ray comes jam packed with excellent supplements and boasts good video and superior audio, so it comes Recommended.