When watching "Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London" for the zillionth time on cable (okay, keeping it on in the background when there's nothing else to watch), I have to say that this film is one of the best examples of great cinematography I have ever seen. There aren't blinding special effects like we saw in the first movie (a pack of exploding Mentos provides the best effects and drama throughout the film), but the director deserves an A+ with extra credit for presentation.
As for the script, you can almost hear Hilary Duff in the background yelling "Don't do it, Cody!," but Cody went ahead and did it, bringing along a B-list cast to replace quasi-A-listers Duff and Angie Harmon. The supporting cast this time around consists primarily of Anthony Anderson as Derek, who is looking to prove himself and get "back in the game," and relative newcomer Hannah Spearritt, she of wounded heart thanks to the director, who nixed the idea of a hookup between Cody and her character, Emily, a Scottish special agent of the hottie variety. If I were Muniz, I would have gone on strike over this glaring omission, and the male-teen audience that this film was targeted to missed out on some great fantasy fodder similar to what my generation was offered in films like Flashdance (she's that hot and they could have done tons with her if they wanted). Spearritt was totally unused here.
The plot? Banks has to go to London while posing as a Clarinet player (thanks to a Clarinet that plays itself) in a youth group that is to give a concert just prior to the G7 meeting, where an evil dictator (a very crappy Keith Allen as Diaz) plans to use a mind-control device to take over the world. The unoriginal plot can be forgiven, however, since this is a Muniz/Banks vehicle, and to that extent the film stays true to the original.
Without giving away the ending, the film's climax juxtaposes a beautiful orchestral, "extended remix" rendition of a rock classic with Banks doing battle with the bad guys in a scene that few will likely ever forget seeing, even if it doesn't immediately stand out in their minds. This one scene excuses the rest of and literally saves the film. Older viewers should appreciate the complexity and beautiful cinematography of the finish, while the kids will focus more on the action, but all should be left without any serious dislike for a film whose script could have been better, but whose execution would have been extremely difficult to improve upon.
I actually wrote this review while watching "The Dentist 2," and if that story managed a sequel, this one surely has a right to exist. Watch it on cable if you're an adult, but grab the DVD if there are any children under 16 in the house, or if you are a fan of '60s psychedelic rock redone by a youth orchestra.
As for the script, you can almost hear Hilary Duff in the background yelling "Don't do it, Cody!," but Cody went ahead and did it, bringing along a B-list cast to replace quasi-A-listers Duff and Angie Harmon. The supporting cast this time around consists primarily of Anthony Anderson as Derek, who is looking to prove himself and get "back in the game," and relative newcomer Hannah Spearritt, she of wounded heart thanks to the director, who nixed the idea of a hookup between Cody and her character, Emily, a Scottish special agent of the hottie variety. If I were Muniz, I would have gone on strike over this glaring omission, and the male-teen audience that this film was targeted to missed out on some great fantasy fodder similar to what my generation was offered in films like Flashdance (she's that hot and they could have done tons with her if they wanted). Spearritt was totally unused here.
The plot? Banks has to go to London while posing as a Clarinet player (thanks to a Clarinet that plays itself) in a youth group that is to give a concert just prior to the G7 meeting, where an evil dictator (a very crappy Keith Allen as Diaz) plans to use a mind-control device to take over the world. The unoriginal plot can be forgiven, however, since this is a Muniz/Banks vehicle, and to that extent the film stays true to the original.
Without giving away the ending, the film's climax juxtaposes a beautiful orchestral, "extended remix" rendition of a rock classic with Banks doing battle with the bad guys in a scene that few will likely ever forget seeing, even if it doesn't immediately stand out in their minds. This one scene excuses the rest of and literally saves the film. Older viewers should appreciate the complexity and beautiful cinematography of the finish, while the kids will focus more on the action, but all should be left without any serious dislike for a film whose script could have been better, but whose execution would have been extremely difficult to improve upon.
I actually wrote this review while watching "The Dentist 2," and if that story managed a sequel, this one surely has a right to exist. Watch it on cable if you're an adult, but grab the DVD if there are any children under 16 in the house, or if you are a fan of '60s psychedelic rock redone by a youth orchestra.