Spy Kids 2

People who are paid to watch movies can't be trusted with children's films. They like the ones with grown-up jokes and are always rude about the silly ones. What's so not-right about silly?

With the help of a rejuvenation pill, which I am ingesting now, I shall become 12-years-old. The old guy, the person I was half a minute ago, really enjoyed Spy Kids, which doesn't say much for the state of his thinking equipment.

Spy Kids 2 has another title: The Island Of Lost Dreams. There is an island alright, with a mountain in the middle and weird creatures that might have escaped from Sid's Room in Toy Story. Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara) are the stars. Their parents (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) interfere a bit, but not enough to be annoying.

The story doesn't make a bunch of sense, but neither did SK1. What's great about SK2 is the effects. They are awesome. Funny, too.

Carmen and Juni have to travel to The Island to recover something that looks like a plastic pizza, because if they don't the baddie (Mike Judge), who took their dad's job - explanation on request - will rule the world. Or something...

In a deep cave lives a Dr Dolittle person (Steve Buscemi) who is also a scientist and inventor. He had a terrific idea to shrink animals and sell mini-zoos to toy shops and make a fortune. Trouble was the chemicals got mixed up and what came out were big mistakes, like half spider half monkey, flying pigs and squirmy dragony things.

The film is a lot of fun if you don't stop and think. What's nice about Juni is that he's so uncool. He's porky and slow, but doesn't let that bother him. He has a crush on the President's daughter (Taylor Momsen), which is not good, because she's spoilt and brattish.

Carmen is a typical do-what-I-say-or-else older sister. She's not smarter than Juni, only thinks she is. Some sisters treat their little brothers like bugs. Carmen and Juni are a team. She gives the orders. He ignores them. He's like his dad.

What's best about SK1 and SK2 is that grown-ups are made to look stupid, in a friendly way, and the kids save the world.