Review Summary: Great concept...but not a great movie.
Ever since Spy Kids graced our living room for the first time, I always was excited by the world of espionage. And the idea Spies in Disguise presented was a fairly fresh one. Having the world's greatest spy transform into a pigeon for missions is definitely an entertaining idea. And with the casting of Will Smith and Tom Holland, you'd think this would be a slam dunk. And Blue Sky Studios needs that kind of hit in the face of being acquired by Disney, home to the two biggest animation studios on the planet.
Well...it's not quite a success. It's well-animated, and certainly entertaining. But this animated effort is definitely far from the best movie Blue Sky has made, and its' also not quite as interesting and engaging as some of the other animated movies made this past year. That's all thanks to a relatively generic script, and some ideas that aren't executed as creatively as they could have been.
I don't think I've seen an animated film that's two steps forward and yet one step back as well in its quality. Because the animation effects here are pretty spectacular. From the visual effects to the action scenes to some neat cinematography shots, Spies definitely raises the bar for a lot of its' tricks. But, what's lacking is the individual character animation. The facial effects and body movements aren't nearly as impressive as some of the studios' recent efforts.
The voice acting is pretty good here overall. Holland is the stand-out, however. He sells the cartoony and heartfelt moments Walter needs. It's no wonder he has two more voice-over roles lined up for next year. Smith is OK as Lance, but I found his voice-work in 2005's Shark Tale to be much more effective. Rogue One's Ben Mendelsohn proves a strong choice for the villain here, with a nearly-unrecognizable voice. Karen Gillan and DJ Khaled provide a few funny lines as a couple of back-up characters who aren't otherwise given a lot to do, while Reba McEntire solidly plays the agency lead, and also isn't given a lot to do.
There's some entertaining gags, including a slow-motion sequence (for me that was the film's overall highlight) and some self-aware humor. But other gags and script choices were way too over-the-top and overly-dramatic. For example, Walter explaining the effects of Lance's transformation may be a unique way of explaining a plot point, but it wasn't exactly necessary. And a few lightly edgy gags are somewhat out-of-place too.
However, Spies does find a little bit of needed strength late in the game, with less focus on the effects and a bit more focus on character. Walter and Lance's relationship becomes more believable in terms of development. And Walter's backstory does carry a unique element with his Mom's work as a police officer (and her apparent passing). However, Walter's workplace treatment and the way its' executed isn't very strong or memorable.
Of course, it's a kids' movie. So expectations for fresh, original and creative decisions can only go so far in some cases. And at the same time, the overall antics and mission are mostly predictable. Every time we reached a familiar element, I kept thinking of movies that did it better. Considering this is supposed to be Blue Sky's most ambitious effort as a studio, I wish they had spent more time on making the story itself more ambitious.
As pure kids' entertainment, Spies in Disguise works as a decent, entertaining diversion. And technically, its pretty well-made mostly. But, for those hoping for something truly exciting and interesting, they might need to look elsewhere.
My Score: 6.4/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing
Rating: PG ("for action, violence, and rude humor")
Recommended age range: 7 years and up.
Language: We hear unfinished exclamations of "holy...", "I'm gonna kick some..." and "son of a...", along with one use each of "oh g**!" and "jeez".
Adult Content: In shock, one muscular man loses his towel. We see his naked body from the back including his rear in a few shots. He then gets turned into a boneless blob with a ray gun and we see Walter and Lance try to roll his naked body to a different place (we see his rear again on one or two occasions, with critical areas barely covered). While transforming, Lance looks down his pants to see if any specific body parts are changing.
Drugs/Alcohol: Drinks are shown being poured and consumed in a few scenes.
Violence: As a secret agent, Lance punches, kicks and cartoonishly pummels multiple bad guys. He also causes some property damage and bombastic explosions. Multiple drones rain gunfire on innocent civilians in one scene, causing a mildly scary scene for younger ones. Multiple car chases involve crashes and intense camera-work that may be too intense for little ones too. The villain drops a henchman down a high building (we see him drop him and hear him scream). Metal claws pierce someone's (clothed) shoulder. We briefly see a badly-scarred face. Windows smash and break. Pigeons are squashed. Cars flip. Characters are poked and hit in slow-motion. Characters are trapped in a bubble gum/silly string trap. Etc.
Other: Some bathroom giggles involve repeated discussions of a bird's "cloaca" and how "#1 and #2 come out the same place!" Pigeons ingest wasted food, band-aids and other gross objects and throw them back up. In one scene, Lance (in bird form) lays an egg and says, "what happens in the submarine, stays in the submarine." It's explained that Lance is apparently a girl bird thanks to drinking something with Walter's female pet bird's DNA, but it could be interpreted as a wink at gender fluidity by some adults. Lance is seen naked post-transformation at one point (we see him waist-up, and Walter's uncomfortable reaction). A villain attempts to frame Lance using face-switching mechanics.
