Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams

Daryl Sabara, Alexa Vega, Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino in Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams.

This sequel to the 2001 hit picks up right where the first one left off. Juni and Carmen are now full fledged spies. They and other children are now part of an official children's spy organization that is an offshoot of the Spy Organization that their parents are members of.

This time the children are off to the Bermuda triangle to retrieve a valuable device. The technical plot details are pointless. The plot is so juvenile that it is practically irrelevant. The kids find themselves battling skeletons, large reptiles and a rival brother - sister spy team.

The cast this time around has been expanded. All the originals return with the introduction of grandparents. The grandparents add some humour as they bug their son in-law, Banderas.

The rival spy kids add a new angle as Carmen has a crush on the boy even though he and Juni cannot stand each other. But the Spy Kids movies are extremely family oriented so you just know whom Carmen will eventually side with.

The special effects are plentiful. Perhaps even too plentiful. The director of the spy organization can't just walk into his office and over to his desk. He has to jump onto a series of moving pillars just to get to his desk. This never comes into play later in the movie. It's just there for some unmentioned reason.

This movie, like it's predecessor is harmless action-packed fun. There is never any real suspense so the movie never gets that exciting. Still, an enjoyable hour and a half of family friendly fun.