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On the surface,
Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz) seems like the
typical teenager. He does everything a nerdy,
clumsy teen would do, well almost. But in
reality Banks is a semi hip super spy, working
for the CIA. He has all the talents necessary
to be James Bond Lite, he can drive cars
like a stuntman and has access to a nearly
limitless supply of awesome gadgets that
would make Q jealous.
I sat through the first “Agent Cody
Banks” expecting very little, but
I knew my son would probably enjoy it. Admittedly
we both had a pretty good time, and though
it certainly wasn’t the best movie
ever, there was a lot to like about it.
It was a bit silly here and there, but that
was expected. I certainly rolled my eyes
a few times. My son had just seen “Spy
Kids 3”, so I was curious to see how
well he would like this other ‘spy
kid.’ His response? He gave it two
big thumbs up.
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Now, he’s back in a second adventure, “Agent
Cody Banks 2: Destination London.” His first
adventure was fairly tame, but this time around
he’s off to London to track down his CIA
summer camp instructor who has disappeared with
a very dangerous mind control device. Along the
way he teams up with Anthony Anderson (Kangeroo
Jack) and British teen ‘sensation’
Hannah Spearitt.
As far as being a cute send-up of the James Bond
series, it does a fair job. Most of the nods to
the super agent series will be lost of younger
viewers who barely know who Bond is. However,
it’s this same young audience that will
appreciate all the gadgets and nifty special effects.
As much as we enjoyed the first film, I have to
admit to not quite liking this one as much. The
first one was cheesy, to be sure, but there was
an air of ingenuousness to it. For the sequel,
it seems the writers opted to shoot for a more
‘wacky’ premise and tried to up the
humor. The sequel is still watchable and entertaining,
but the differences in style are noticeable.
Frankie Muniz, who does a great job on “Malcolm
in the Middle”, does a fair job in this
movie. He’s not a super actor, and I can’t
really see a huge career for him after he gets
out of his teenage years, but while he’s
still able to utilize his ‘cute’ factor
I’m sure we’ll see him in a few more
movies. I still can’t get over the incredible
resemblance between him and Lindsey Lohan (“Mean
Girls”). I still remember the first time
I saw the trailers for “Mean Girls”,
I thought it was Muniz in drag.
The new DVD release for “Agent Cody Banks
2: Destination London” includes a fair amount
of extra features including an Interactive Quiz
that you can play while watching the movie (though
I recommend waiting until after you’ve watched
it once). There is also a Visual Cast Commentary
option that you can choose that freezes the action
onscreen while members of the cast talk about
the film (again I recommend doing this after watching
the movie all the way through once). You’ll
also find a short promo piece about the movie,
6 deleted scenes and a Behind the Scenes Gallery.
And if you can’t decide if you like Full
Screen over Widescreen, both are available on
this disc.
Granted, “Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination
London” may not appeal to everyone, but
it might appeal to those who haven’t grown
out of their fantasies of growing up to be a secret
agent.
Directed by: Kevin Allen
Starring: Frankie Muniz, Anthony Anderson, Cynthia
Stevenson, Daniel Roebuck, Keith David
Extras: Theatrical trailer, "Agent Mode"
Interactive Quiz, "Spy on the Set" Visual
Cast Commentary, "Back in Action" Featurette,
Deleted Scenes
Specifications: Widescreen and Full Screen, Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 7/13/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website
We'll give Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London
a C+.
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