Antonio-Banderas Movie Reviews

This is not a movie I could sit and enjoy with my kids. I thought it was a very promising idea, but one huge mistake ruins the entire idea.

They took two ordinary-looking kids and gave them super powers. No they didn't, you say? Well, in the first minutes of the film, the kids go to work out in their own private gym. Suddenly these ordinary kids are leaping and flipping about as if they have donned jet-packs. Their leaping and flipping is accompanied by the obligatory swishing and zooming sound effects. Ick.

What should have been a film about a couple of ordinary homely kids working hard and using their guts and determination to save their beautiful, talented spy-parents turns into a contrived special effects extravaganza. We're supposed to suspend belief and buy that these two kids can do extraordinary physical feats just because their parents are spies?

Subtleties are so often lost on Hollywood. There are so many movies that do it better. If you want to see kids use their guts and courage to survive adversity (without obvious special effects) try Adventures in Babysitting. Even Home Alone is more believable than the Spy Kids drivel.

Spy Kids is an interesting movie. It claims to be a kids movie, but is so awash in weirdness, that any young child might have nightmares about this. In that way it is similar to Willy Wonka, but then it is so different. Robert Rodriguez, best known for his hyper-violent films such as Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn, shows he is adept at handling light hearted and whimsical fare. Spy Kids is a sort of modern fairy-tale beginning with "Once upon a Time", and finishing with a happy ending. It is escapism for kids, and I was sucked in. What kid didn't want to have cool gadgets and be the hero. I know I did, and it reminded me of my childhood. It is refreshing to see a pure family film that takes risks with its viewers, Rodriguez isn't satisfied to keep the film within conventional techniques, he makes it a visual feast while not disorienting the viewer in anyway. On top of that, I found the bickering between the brother and sister to be really very funny; They definitely seemed like brother and sister, which was key of course. The supporting performances were uniformly excellent. Antonio Banderas and Alan Cumming both gave wonderfully eccentric performances. Overall, the movie was soaking in creativity and thoroughly satisfied me.

Recently, there has been a trend in family films: they're getting better. The atrocity of "See Spot Run" aside, the last few years have seen more good PG-or-under-rated fare than just the standard Disney animation. See, for instance, the flawless "Chicken Run," "Princess Diaries," "Road to El Dorado," "The Prince of Egypt," and "Shrek" and you will be able to tell what I am talking about. Now you can add "Spy Kids" to that list.

This film is a head-spinning whirl of invention and brilliance, marred only occasionally by predictability or a poop joke. It must have been a sheer joy to make, because all on-screen appear to be having loads of fun. It's wonderful to see even the normally stone-faced Robert Patrick (the T-1000 in "Terminator 2," Agent Doggit in "The X-Files) having to hold back a grin as a corporate villain. Fortunately for us, this all passes along to the audience. Everyone, and not just the teeny-boppers. With bright, intelligent production design (was that really a yellow submarine I saw?), a light sense of humor, and wonderful pacing, this evokes a grin from even the most concerned parents.

Not that this is all fluff. There is a rare degree of intelligence here, especially for a kid's movie. At one point, a young Hispanic child shouts something, and instead of going the easy route and doing it in English, writer/director Robert Rodriguez uses Spanish, with a subtitle telling us what was said. Not only there, but nearly all the major characters are written with sharp observation. The parents are intelligent, willful, and when they go back into the biz' after retirement, it's because *they* want to, not because the plot does. Even Floop, the villain bent on world-domination, is given sufficient motivation: he's lonely and insecure, and wants to feel appreciated. (Most of this becomes apparent through the brilliant perfomance of Alan Cummings.) And the children...

The two kids are, without a doubt, the center of this movie, and well to do so. As written, they are real siblings, hating and loving each other at the same time. They know each other's weaknesses, they know how to push each other's buttons, but at the same time, they obviously care about each other. This is one tight-knit family. Hollywood needs more like them.

This is also not to say the movie is perfect. It does stray into poop jokes, though only twice, and there is also a predictable plot element involving an estranged brother. However by the time it reaches this point, it has more than enough credit going for us to forgive it.

Before the movie began, there were trailers for nearly all the upcoming family and children's films this summer. Some looked good, some looked mediocre. However, if more are like this, it will be a good year. Kids, do your parents a favor: take them to buy "Spy Kids"

This is not a movie I could sit and enjoy with my kids. I thought it was a very promising idea, but one huge mistake ruins the entire idea.

They took two ordinary-looking kids and gave them super powers. No they didn't, you say? Well, in the first minutes of the film, the kids go to work out in their own private gym. Suddenly these ordinary kids are leaping and flipping about as if they have donned jet-packs. Their leaping and flipping is accompanied by the obligatory swishing and zooming sound effects. Ick.

What should have been a film about a couple of ordinary homely kids working hard and using their guts and determination to save their beautiful, talented spy-parents turns into a contrived special effects extravaganza. We're supposed to suspend belief and buy that these two kids can do extraordinary physical feats just because their parents are spies?

Subtleties are so often lost on Hollywood. There are so many movies that do it better. If you want to see kids use their guts and courage to survive adversity (without obvious special effects) try Adventures in Babysitting. Even Home Alone is more believable than the Spy Kids drivel.

Spy Kids is an interesting movie. It claims to be a kids movie, but is so awash in weirdness, that any young child might have nightmares about this. In that way it is similar to Willy Wonka, but then it is so different. Robert Rodriguez, best known for his hyper-violent films such as Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn, shows he is adept at handling light hearted and whimsical fare. Spy Kids is a sort of modern fairy-tale beginning with "Once upon a Time", and finishing with a happy ending. It is escapism for kids, and I was sucked in. What kid didn't want to have cool gadgets and be the hero. I know I did, and it reminded me of my childhood. It is refreshing to see a pure family film that takes risks with its viewers, Rodriguez isn't satisfied to keep the film within conventional techniques, he makes it a visual feast while not disorienting the viewer in anyway. On top of that, I found the bickering between the brother and sister to be really very funny; They definitely seemed like brother and sister, which was key of course. The supporting performances were uniformly excellent. Antonio Banderas and Alan Cumming both gave wonderfully eccentric performances. Overall, the movie was soaking in creativity and thoroughly satisfied me.

Recently, there has been a trend in family films: they're getting better. The atrocity of "See Spot Run" aside, the last few years have seen more good PG-or-under-rated fare than just the standard Disney animation. See, for instance, the flawless "Chicken Run," "Princess Diaries," "Road to El Dorado," "The Prince of Egypt," and "Shrek" and you will be able to tell what I am talking about. Now you can add "Spy Kids" to that list.

This film is a head-spinning whirl of invention and brilliance, marred only occasionally by predictability or a poop joke. It must have been a sheer joy to make, because all on-screen appear to be having loads of fun. It's wonderful to see even the normally stone-faced Robert Patrick (the T-1000 in "Terminator 2," Agent Doggit in "The X-Files) having to hold back a grin as a corporate villain. Fortunately for us, this all passes along to the audience. Everyone, and not just the teeny-boppers. With bright, intelligent production design (was that really a yellow submarine I saw?), a light sense of humor, and wonderful pacing, this evokes a grin from even the most concerned parents.

Not that this is all fluff. There is a rare degree of intelligence here, especially for a kid's movie. At one point, a young Hispanic child shouts something, and instead of going the easy route and doing it in English, writer/director Robert Rodriguez uses Spanish, with a subtitle telling us what was said. Not only there, but nearly all the major characters are written with sharp observation. The parents are intelligent, willful, and when they go back into the biz' after retirement, it's because *they* want to, not because the plot does. Even Floop, the villain bent on world-domination, is given sufficient motivation: he's lonely and insecure, and wants to feel appreciated. (Most of this becomes apparent through the brilliant perfomance of Alan Cummings.) And the children...

The two kids are, without a doubt, the center of this movie, and well to do so. As written, they are real siblings, hating and loving each other at the same time. They know each other's weaknesses, they know how to push each other's buttons, but at the same time, they obviously care about each other. This is one tight-knit family. Hollywood needs more like them.

This is also not to say the movie is perfect. It does stray into poop jokes, though only twice, and there is also a predictable plot element involving an estranged brother. However by the time it reaches this point, it has more than enough credit going for us to forgive it.

Before the movie began, there were trailers for nearly all the upcoming family and children's films this summer. Some looked good, some looked mediocre. However, if more are like this, it will be a good year. Kids, do your parents a favor: take them to buy "Spy Kids"

This is not a movie I could sit and enjoy with my kids. I thought it was a very promising idea, but one huge mistake ruins the entire idea.

They took two ordinary-looking kids and gave them super powers. No they didn't, you say? Well, in the first minutes of the film, the kids go to work out in their own private gym. Suddenly these ordinary kids are leaping and flipping about as if they have donned jet-packs. Their leaping and flipping is accompanied by the obligatory swishing and zooming sound effects. Ick.

What should have been a film about a couple of ordinary homely kids working hard and using their guts and determination to save their beautiful, talented spy-parents turns into a contrived special effects extravaganza. We're supposed to suspend belief and buy that these two kids can do extraordinary physical feats just because their parents are spies?

Subtleties are so often lost on Hollywood. There are so many movies that do it better. If you want to see kids use their guts and courage to survive adversity (without obvious special effects) try Adventures in Babysitting. Even Home Alone is more believable than the Spy Kids drivel.

Spy Kids is an interesting movie. It claims to be a kids movie, but is so awash in weirdness, that any young child might have nightmares about this. In that way it is similar to Willy Wonka, but then it is so different. Robert Rodriguez, best known for his hyper-violent films such as Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn, shows he is adept at handling light hearted and whimsical fare. Spy Kids is a sort of modern fairy-tale beginning with "Once upon a Time", and finishing with a happy ending. It is escapism for kids, and I was sucked in. What kid didn't want to have cool gadgets and be the hero. I know I did, and it reminded me of my childhood. It is refreshing to see a pure family film that takes risks with its viewers, Rodriguez isn't satisfied to keep the film within conventional techniques, he makes it a visual feast while not disorienting the viewer in anyway. On top of that, I found the bickering between the brother and sister to be really very funny; They definitely seemed like brother and sister, which was key of course. The supporting performances were uniformly excellent. Antonio Banderas and Alan Cumming both gave wonderfully eccentric performances. Overall, the movie was soaking in creativity and thoroughly satisfied me.

Recently, there has been a trend in family films: they're getting better. The atrocity of "See Spot Run" aside, the last few years have seen more good PG-or-under-rated fare than just the standard Disney animation. See, for instance, the flawless "Chicken Run," "Princess Diaries," "Road to El Dorado," "The Prince of Egypt," and "Shrek" and you will be able to tell what I am talking about. Now you can add "Spy Kids" to that list.

This film is a head-spinning whirl of invention and brilliance, marred only occasionally by predictability or a poop joke. It must have been a sheer joy to make, because all on-screen appear to be having loads of fun. It's wonderful to see even the normally stone-faced Robert Patrick (the T-1000 in "Terminator 2," Agent Doggit in "The X-Files) having to hold back a grin as a corporate villain. Fortunately for us, this all passes along to the audience. Everyone, and not just the teeny-boppers. With bright, intelligent production design (was that really a yellow submarine I saw?), a light sense of humor, and wonderful pacing, this evokes a grin from even the most concerned parents.

Not that this is all fluff. There is a rare degree of intelligence here, especially for a kid's movie. At one point, a young Hispanic child shouts something, and instead of going the easy route and doing it in English, writer/director Robert Rodriguez uses Spanish, with a subtitle telling us what was said. Not only there, but nearly all the major characters are written with sharp observation. The parents are intelligent, willful, and when they go back into the biz' after retirement, it's because *they* want to, not because the plot does. Even Floop, the villain bent on world-domination, is given sufficient motivation: he's lonely and insecure, and wants to feel appreciated. (Most of this becomes apparent through the brilliant perfomance of Alan Cummings.) And the children...

The two kids are, without a doubt, the center of this movie, and well to do so. As written, they are real siblings, hating and loving each other at the same time. They know each other's weaknesses, they know how to push each other's buttons, but at the same time, they obviously care about each other. This is one tight-knit family. Hollywood needs more like them.

This is also not to say the movie is perfect. It does stray into poop jokes, though only twice, and there is also a predictable plot element involving an estranged brother. However by the time it reaches this point, it has more than enough credit going for us to forgive it.

Before the movie began, there were trailers for nearly all the upcoming family and children's films this summer. Some looked good, some looked mediocre. However, if more are like this, it will be a good year. Kids, do your parents a favor: take them to buy "Spy Kids"

Surprisingly good movie. I was taken in and invested completely in what was going to happen. Good performances--esp from Antonio--who I typically don't feel is very talented.

How far would you go for love and how much would you sacrifice? These are the central points in this story. The film is a period piece, set in 19th century Cuba. A time when men were chivalrous and women were, well, powerless...or so we would think. Luis Vargas (Banderas) is a wealthy coffee merchant who sends away for a wife. All he knows of his wife to be, is from her letters. When he finally meets her, he is shocked and then mesmerized by Julia's (Jolie) beauty and her apparent sexuality. They are wed on the day they meet and Luis's life, as he knows it, is never the same again.

This film could have easily turned into a cheap melodrama, were it not for the skill and smoldering sex appeal of Banderas and Jolie. While the viewer must suspend some disbelief as the plot twists and turns (especially at the end), and while parts of the movie are predictable, the story somehow still remains intriguing and viable.

This film is visually pleasing and the musical score is simply beautiful. Unfortunately, the DVD leaves a bit to be desired. The special features menu includes only choices between different languages.

In any case, this is simply a fantasy love story, nothing more, nothing less.

...I have seen this movie soooooooo many times. I havent got around to buying it yet but i do have it in Divx on my computer. I love it!
Wow, I can't believe how many bad reviews this film got all over the internet. I thought it was an absolutly beautiful, beautiful love story. Angelina is wonderful...

Angelina looked stunning. The costumes were oh so perfect. The dresses were beautiful. Antonio was looking mighty fine too.

The sex scenes were romantic, set oh so perfectly with the wonderful score that I adore, it's so beautiful (my favorite is the lovely, but short opening.)

I recommend this movie for any Angelina Jolie fan. She plays quite a different role in this movie compared to Tomb Raider (which was semi-okay, Angelina was the only true good part about it...SHOWER SCENE!) This is one of my favorite movies of all time, as are most the movies she was in like GIA, Mojave Moon, ect.

-Aya

Surprisingly good movie. I was taken in and invested completely in what was going to happen. Good performances--esp from Antonio--who I typically don't feel is very talented.

How far would you go for love and how much would you sacrifice? These are the central points in this story. The film is a period piece, set in 19th century Cuba. A time when men were chivalrous and women were, well, powerless...or so we would think. Luis Vargas (Banderas) is a wealthy coffee merchant who sends away for a wife. All he knows of his wife to be, is from her letters. When he finally meets her, he is shocked and then mesmerized by Julia's (Jolie) beauty and her apparent sexuality. They are wed on the day they meet and Luis's life, as he knows it, is never the same again.

This film could have easily turned into a cheap melodrama, were it not for the skill and smoldering sex appeal of Banderas and Jolie. While the viewer must suspend some disbelief as the plot twists and turns (especially at the end), and while parts of the movie are predictable, the story somehow still remains intriguing and viable.

This film is visually pleasing and the musical score is simply beautiful. Unfortunately, the DVD leaves a bit to be desired. The special features menu includes only choices between different languages.

In any case, this is simply a fantasy love story, nothing more, nothing less.

...I have seen this movie soooooooo many times. I havent got around to buying it yet but i do have it in Divx on my computer. I love it!
Wow, I can't believe how many bad reviews this film got all over the internet. I thought it was an absolutly beautiful, beautiful love story. Angelina is wonderful...

Angelina looked stunning. The costumes were oh so perfect. The dresses were beautiful. Antonio was looking mighty fine too.

The sex scenes were romantic, set oh so perfectly with the wonderful score that I adore, it's so beautiful (my favorite is the lovely, but short opening.)

I recommend this movie for any Angelina Jolie fan. She plays quite a different role in this movie compared to Tomb Raider (which was semi-okay, Angelina was the only true good part about it...SHOWER SCENE!) This is one of my favorite movies of all time, as are most the movies she was in like GIA, Mojave Moon, ect.

-Aya

If pictorial beauty and one stunning performance were enough to make a movie great, Robert Rodriguez's "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" would be a masterpiece. Rodriguez--to quote his little joke in the credits--"chopped, shot and scored" the movie, and some of the (rare) still scenes in this flick take our breath away with Rodriguez's spatial and color compositions. There's also the eccentrically brilliant performance of Johnny Depp as Sands, a rogue CIA agent who tries to play all the movie's warring factions against each other for his own fun and profit. Unfortunately, audiences demand more of a movie--such as characters they can root for and a story that, if not realistic, is at least coherent enough to allow them to suspend disbelief. In "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," it quickly becomes apparent that the only thing Rodriguez has on his mind is to devise as many hyperkinetically creative ways as possible to build up a higher body count than the Battle of the Bulge. While many of these scenes have an undeniable visceral excitement, few of them have much bearing on the story (such as it is) and therefore the audience never feels like it has much at stake in the outcome of those scenes. I realize that violence in real life is random, but a movie as stylized as this can't necessarily offer that excuse. It doesn't help that there's virtually no one to root for. Depp's character frankly deserves as bad as he gets, and worse; Antonio Banderas' El Mariachi, though basically a good and obviously a grievously wronged man, is a conceit rather than a character. Ruben Blades' retired FBI agent is pretty much a good guy, as is Pedro Armendariz's El Presidente (though he's too passive to engage the audience). Almost everybody else is either morally ambiguous or downright evil, and too much of a cipher in the bargain for anybody to care about. Rodriguez's original, Spanish-language "El Mariachi"--featuring a no-name cast and a budget that was roughly the price of a used Hyundai--was a far better, simpler, more engaging movie than this one.

This is desperados sequel if you even remember the 1995 film starring Banderas which was good with this one being gooder. los of gun flinging and crashing. Banderas has never been cooler and Hayek so tittilating but the real reason this movie is outstanding is because of the energetic Depp who is so good and is the scene stealer in his role as the CIA agent who wants Banderas. for a Mexican gunfighting movie this is one for the year

A film by Robert Rodriguez

This is the concluding chapter in Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi trilogy. The first two movies were El Mariachi and Desperado. In this movie we have somewhat of a convoluted plot that is also a fairly thin plot. Here's the premise: A CIA operative named Sands (Johnny Depp) manipulates everyone to get El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) to help overthrow the Mexican government but not allow the man overthrowing the government to actually take charge. Sands plays all sides of the game, trying to work everyone. El (as he is occasionally called) is dealing with the grief for the death of his wife, Carolina (Salma Hayek). We see their scenes together in flashback. El gets involved in Sands' deal (because he could not avoid it). The story is a little on the weak side, but everyone plays their characters so well that it doesn't really matter.

What matters is the action and the style and this movie has plenty of each. While this is a very violent movie, with lots of bloodshed and death, it is in no way a serious movie. It could almost be called comic (as in comic book, rather than humorous). Everything is over the top and exaggerated. It is a lot of fun to watch. The action is exciting (if silly at times) and always interesting. Everything is stylish, and a small highlight is watching Johnny Depp's ever changing wardrobe (in one scene he is walking around with a CIA t-shirt, which would seem to be a bad idea to draw attention to his job, but under the letters are the words "cleavage inspection agency").

There is nothing to really take seriously in this movie (well, a couple of scenes), but a lot to enjoy (even the exaggerated violence and a little gore). This is a movie for guys and it is fairly mindless....but unlike some mindless summer action movies, this one is pretty good. This is the type of movie I normally don't like, but I had a blast watching it.

This flick started off VERY interesting with the whole "James bond/Mission impossible 2" heist theme (I love movies about heists)
The lesbian scene was a bit too long and not really that much important...but I guess some people beg to differ on this one.
Well what started off as a promising flick had too many plots that ruined the movie. They should have made it where as Stamos's character was on the run from those Creole/Haitian/African criminals and teams up with Banderas's character to help her fight them off or something...instead they make this movie a "premonition" of events that have the possibility of happening but which she still has the control to prevent and change. I could've even tolerated the stealing of the identity and playing it off as the other chick storyline too and the directors flipping creatively from there...almost like "The talented MR Ripley" or something (now THAT'S a great Flick!!)but they didn't.
Alot of the times there is little or no talking in the movie seing the split screen,and then reading subtitles on the bottom and trying at the same time not to miss anything while reading them...it gets annoying.
I really don't like movies that have the "seven years later"..."sometime later" and the "seven more years later"...and no explanations for the time we don't see in between,and then having unexplained results.
How the hell did Stamos's character get thrown over a balcony, fell through glass...and had absolutely no cuts bruises, broken bones???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
How the hell did this event happen and absolutely NO cops turn up to question what happened in terms of "who what when how and why" she ended up thrown over a balcony??????
Antonio Banderas as a high rated actor sucks! He reminds me of Christopher Lambert (they even talk in the same "I got hot sauce in my mouth" way) his star quality right now is at a "2" I personally don't rate him...even in "Ballistic Ecks vs Sever"...the woman in his movies ALWAYS steal the show from him.
What happened to veteran actor Peter Coyote in this movie? Like no screen time was given to him and ALOT of it was wasted on Banderas murdering the English language with his heavy accent..."Yu dun't bi-live enthin I say so far?!"
~~SIGH~~
This flick on a whole could've been done better by a great like De Palma...this movie kind of reminds me of the similar ending to "Body Double"...accept I liked that one because it was funny, erotic, and suspensful...this was boring,boring,and boring.

I caught this in the theater and am glad to see all the positive reviews from people who have discovered this gem on dvd. Femme Fatale is an excellent twist a minute thriller. I love the opening heist scene at the Cannes Film Festival. It's great the way De Palma builds suspense by using the playful music theme, and builds on it, instead of using typical "shock" thriller music. It is fine movie making.

However, while it is stylish and sexy throughout the first part, it is truly the ending that makes the movie. Some may say it counts too much on the conclusion, but I found the solution to be perfectly sly. I couldn't help but grin at the cleverness of the last 10 minutes.

Both leads are good in their parts, but Rebecca Romjin-Stamos soars in this role. She is THE woman for THE part. Brian De Palma directs Femme Fatale masterfully with the wisdom he has gained over the years. It's a wild ride. Well Done!

PS.

FEMME FATALE is, like THE SIXTH SENSE, MULHOLLAND DRIVE, THE OTHERS and HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT, a film that capitalizes on a sudden change in perception that opens wide the eyes of the audience. Directed by Brian De Palma, it's a masterpiece of visual cinematic artistry.

Drop-dead gorgeous Rebecca-Romijn-Stamos plays Laure Ash, the key member of a gang of thieves poised to snatch a piece of diamond-encrusted clothing off a super model in the Palais du Cinema at the Cannes film festival. (I use the word "clothing" loosely. It's more a revealing piece of jewelry, and something you'd allow your teenage daughter to wear to the prom only over your dead body.) In any case, Laure double-crosses her cohorts, leaving them to go to prison while she absconds with the rocks. Stashing the loot with a fence, Ash grasps a sudden opportunity to assume another identity and flies to the U.S., where she marries a Washington, D.C. insider. Seven years later, she returns to France a High Profile Figure, a situation that puts her in danger, especially after paparazzo Nicolas Bardo (Antonio Banderas) captures an image of her that's recognized by a former criminal associate, now released from prison and looking to get even and recover the swag.

If the plot so far seems improbable, it is. But no matter, since the excellence of this film is in its sumptuous visual presentation, often with minimal or no dialog, during which the director makes effective use of slow motion and split screen perspectives. The viewers are deliberately left wondering what they're seeing. Then, once it's figured out, De Palma springs his "Gotcha!"

FEMME FATALE is a stylish, intelligent and sexy make-believe story for adults. Several scenes with Ms. Stamos are steamily erotic, made even more attention-grabbing by the chameleon-like quality of the Ash character. I mean, by late in the film, isn't she supposed to be the elegant and proper wife of the ... (Whoops! I almost revealed too much.) And while I didn't care much about his screen persona one way or the other, Banderas is solid in a supporting role as the clueless photographer who pays a big price for a couple of snaps.

As in THE SIXTH SENSE, there are clues that signpost the director's alternate reality. See the film and have some fun.

This flick started off VERY interesting with the whole "James bond/Mission impossible 2" heist theme (I love movies about heists)
The lesbian scene was a bit too long and not really that much important...but I guess some people beg to differ on this one.
Well what started off as a promising flick had too many plots that ruined the movie. They should have made it where as Stamos's character was on the run from those Creole/Haitian/African criminals and teams up with Banderas's character to help her fight them off or something...instead they make this movie a "premonition" of events that have the possibility of happening but which she still has the control to prevent and change. I could've even tolerated the stealing of the identity and playing it off as the other chick storyline too and the directors flipping creatively from there...almost like "The talented MR Ripley" or something (now THAT'S a great Flick!!)but they didn't.
Alot of the times there is little or no talking in the movie seing the split screen,and then reading subtitles on the bottom and trying at the same time not to miss anything while reading them...it gets annoying.
I really don't like movies that have the "seven years later"..."sometime later" and the "seven more years later"...and no explanations for the time we don't see in between,and then having unexplained results.
How the hell did Stamos's character get thrown over a balcony, fell through glass...and had absolutely no cuts bruises, broken bones???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
How the hell did this event happen and absolutely NO cops turn up to question what happened in terms of "who what when how and why" she ended up thrown over a balcony??????
Antonio Banderas as a high rated actor sucks! He reminds me of Christopher Lambert (they even talk in the same "I got hot sauce in my mouth" way) his star quality right now is at a "2" I personally don't rate him...even in "Ballistic Ecks vs Sever"...the woman in his movies ALWAYS steal the show from him.
What happened to veteran actor Peter Coyote in this movie? Like no screen time was given to him and ALOT of it was wasted on Banderas murdering the English language with his heavy accent..."Yu dun't bi-live enthin I say so far?!"
~~SIGH~~
This flick on a whole could've been done better by a great like De Palma...this movie kind of reminds me of the similar ending to "Body Double"...accept I liked that one because it was funny, erotic, and suspensful...this was boring,boring,and boring.

I caught this in the theater and am glad to see all the positive reviews from people who have discovered this gem on dvd. Femme Fatale is an excellent twist a minute thriller. I love the opening heist scene at the Cannes Film Festival. It's great the way De Palma builds suspense by using the playful music theme, and builds on it, instead of using typical "shock" thriller music. It is fine movie making.

However, while it is stylish and sexy throughout the first part, it is truly the ending that makes the movie. Some may say it counts too much on the conclusion, but I found the solution to be perfectly sly. I couldn't help but grin at the cleverness of the last 10 minutes.

Both leads are good in their parts, but Rebecca Romjin-Stamos soars in this role. She is THE woman for THE part. Brian De Palma directs Femme Fatale masterfully with the wisdom he has gained over the years. It's a wild ride. Well Done!

PS.

FEMME FATALE is, like THE SIXTH SENSE, MULHOLLAND DRIVE, THE OTHERS and HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT, a film that capitalizes on a sudden change in perception that opens wide the eyes of the audience. Directed by Brian De Palma, it's a masterpiece of visual cinematic artistry.

Drop-dead gorgeous Rebecca-Romijn-Stamos plays Laure Ash, the key member of a gang of thieves poised to snatch a piece of diamond-encrusted clothing off a super model in the Palais du Cinema at the Cannes film festival. (I use the word "clothing" loosely. It's more a revealing piece of jewelry, and something you'd allow your teenage daughter to wear to the prom only over your dead body.) In any case, Laure double-crosses her cohorts, leaving them to go to prison while she absconds with the rocks. Stashing the loot with a fence, Ash grasps a sudden opportunity to assume another identity and flies to the U.S., where she marries a Washington, D.C. insider. Seven years later, she returns to France a High Profile Figure, a situation that puts her in danger, especially after paparazzo Nicolas Bardo (Antonio Banderas) captures an image of her that's recognized by a former criminal associate, now released from prison and looking to get even and recover the swag.

If the plot so far seems improbable, it is. But no matter, since the excellence of this film is in its sumptuous visual presentation, often with minimal or no dialog, during which the director makes effective use of slow motion and split screen perspectives. The viewers are deliberately left wondering what they're seeing. Then, once it's figured out, De Palma springs his "Gotcha!"

FEMME FATALE is a stylish, intelligent and sexy make-believe story for adults. Several scenes with Ms. Stamos are steamily erotic, made even more attention-grabbing by the chameleon-like quality of the Ash character. I mean, by late in the film, isn't she supposed to be the elegant and proper wife of the ... (Whoops! I almost revealed too much.) And while I didn't care much about his screen persona one way or the other, Banderas is solid in a supporting role as the clueless photographer who pays a big price for a couple of snaps.

As in THE SIXTH SENSE, there are clues that signpost the director's alternate reality. See the film and have some fun.

The third and final installment to the Spy Kids series of movies makes a grand attempt to go out with a bang, but instead just mercifully goes away...

THE STORY:

Juni Cortez comes out of "retirement" to save sister Carmen from an evil Virtual Reality game that threatens to corrupt the lives of America's youth (yuk yuk yuk) forever. Juni must enter the VR game and battle through 5 levels of CyberWarfare facing other gamers and assorted CyberMonsters to save Carmen.

THE COOL THINGS:

Obviously the big sell of this movie are the 3-D special effects. You'll get your old school 3-D glasses (red lens in one eye, blue in the other) at the box office and the movie conveniently tells you when to put them on. The virtual reality/3-D world of the video is just awesome to see and the "high-tech" battles of the movie are a nice contrast to the mutated creature/monsters of the previous movies. Overall, the movie gets an 'A' for FX. Another big plus going for this movie is the prominent role of Grandpa Cortez (the legendary Ricardo Montalban) who aides Juni in rescuing Carmen. That's about it for the cool stuff though...

THE CRITIQUE:

Something just feels off and missing from this movie. Much of the charm of the first two movies is lost. There are no "cutesy" bad guys in this film, just follow "CyberWarriors" and virtual robot baddies. The pacing of the movie also just feels very off. The journey of Juni and his friends to Level 5 of the game, while at parts exciting, just feels very un-epic and un-exciting. The ending of the movie is also very anti-climatic. The movie is just extremely short. I found myself quite underwhelmed when Juni and the crew finally "saved" Carmen and reached Level 5 to "beat the bad guy." Have you ever found yourself doing and seeing something you were looking forward to and when it was over thought to yourself "That's It????"

One cool thing at the end was bringing back much of the characters from the previous films (a nod to the franchise reaching it's finish) but again, it just feels so anti-climatic. The addition of Sylvester Stallone as the crazed Toymaker was a nice touch for the adults (with nods to Rocky in the bloopers) but seriously, how many of the little kids in the audience even know who Stallone is or having memorable recollections of Rocky or Rambo?

BEST SCENES:

1.Juni vs. Demetria is the "Battlebot Competition"

2.The Race scene

3.Lava Surfing

THE VERDICT:

I'm a big fan of the Spy Kids series and quite honestly, "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" simply underwhelms. Sure, the action and FX are well done, but the story and pacing of the movie just doesn't deliver the same amount of "oomph" that the first two films do. If you're looking for cool VR action this movie does that well in spades, but for an entertaining and enthralling story you can probably do better elsewhere.

Fare thee well Carmen and Juni Cortez, it was fun but sadly enough the Game really is over.

Recommendation: Stick with the first two movies.

Whatever your cup of tea, you have to give this Spy Kids movie some credit for at least trying 3-D. I admit, though, the old-school style of 3-D was hard on the eyes, and the show, at times, was practically unviewable. But what OF the show? The first Spy Kids was a marvelous treat. The second, total crap. The 3rd installment brings new life into the series, but it's obvious Spy Kids has seen its last. A lot of charm was lost. However--- the highlight of the movie is when Juni goes into a video game to save his sister. I thought that whole adventure was well done, and is quite entertaining when you think about what's going on. But like some games I've played, the ending to Spy Kids 3-D probably wasn't worth the entire effort. Nice try.

This is the best 3-D movie I've seen!When I went into the theatre I knew it would be 3-D,and it was 3-D!I would also reccomend the DVD version.I also give this two thumbs up.

From,
Zack Paslay,age 9

The third and final installment to the Spy Kids series of movies makes a grand attempt to go out with a bang, but instead just mercifully goes away...

THE STORY:

Juni Cortez comes out of "retirement" to save sister Carmen from an evil Virtual Reality game that threatens to corrupt the lives of America's youth (yuk yuk yuk) forever. Juni must enter the VR game and battle through 5 levels of CyberWarfare facing other gamers and assorted CyberMonsters to save Carmen.

THE COOL THINGS:

Obviously the big sell of this movie are the 3-D special effects. You'll get your old school 3-D glasses (red lens in one eye, blue in the other) at the box office and the movie conveniently tells you when to put them on. The virtual reality/3-D world of the video is just awesome to see and the "high-tech" battles of the movie are a nice contrast to the mutated creature/monsters of the previous movies. Overall, the movie gets an 'A' for FX. Another big plus going for this movie is the prominent role of Grandpa Cortez (the legendary Ricardo Montalban) who aides Juni in rescuing Carmen. That's about it for the cool stuff though...

THE CRITIQUE:

Something just feels off and missing from this movie. Much of the charm of the first two movies is lost. There are no "cutesy" bad guys in this film, just follow "CyberWarriors" and virtual robot baddies. The pacing of the movie also just feels very off. The journey of Juni and his friends to Level 5 of the game, while at parts exciting, just feels very un-epic and un-exciting. The ending of the movie is also very anti-climatic. The movie is just extremely short. I found myself quite underwhelmed when Juni and the crew finally "saved" Carmen and reached Level 5 to "beat the bad guy." Have you ever found yourself doing and seeing something you were looking forward to and when it was over thought to yourself "That's It????"

One cool thing at the end was bringing back much of the characters from the previous films (a nod to the franchise reaching it's finish) but again, it just feels so anti-climatic. The addition of Sylvester Stallone as the crazed Toymaker was a nice touch for the adults (with nods to Rocky in the bloopers) but seriously, how many of the little kids in the audience even know who Stallone is or having memorable recollections of Rocky or Rambo?

BEST SCENES:

1.Juni vs. Demetria is the "Battlebot Competition"

2.The Race scene

3.Lava Surfing

THE VERDICT:

I'm a big fan of the Spy Kids series and quite honestly, "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" simply underwhelms. Sure, the action and FX are well done, but the story and pacing of the movie just doesn't deliver the same amount of "oomph" that the first two films do. If you're looking for cool VR action this movie does that well in spades, but for an entertaining and enthralling story you can probably do better elsewhere.

Fare thee well Carmen and Juni Cortez, it was fun but sadly enough the Game really is over.

Recommendation: Stick with the first two movies.

Whatever your cup of tea, you have to give this Spy Kids movie some credit for at least trying 3-D. I admit, though, the old-school style of 3-D was hard on the eyes, and the show, at times, was practically unviewable. But what OF the show? The first Spy Kids was a marvelous treat. The second, total crap. The 3rd installment brings new life into the series, but it's obvious Spy Kids has seen its last. A lot of charm was lost. However--- the highlight of the movie is when Juni goes into a video game to save his sister. I thought that whole adventure was well done, and is quite entertaining when you think about what's going on. But like some games I've played, the ending to Spy Kids 3-D probably wasn't worth the entire effort. Nice try.

This is the best 3-D movie I've seen!When I went into the theatre I knew it would be 3-D,and it was 3-D!I would also reccomend the DVD version.I also give this two thumbs up.

From,
Zack Paslay,age 9