From the animators of Despicable Me, Minions and The Secret Life of Pets comes Spycies.
An action-packed comedy-adventure set in an exciting world of animal espionage and explosives aplenty.
Special agent Vladimir is the Secret Service’s top spy, but he’s not so good at obeying orders.
Following a reckless mission, the maverick agent is sent on a disciplinary assignment to a remote off-shore platform to guard a top-secret cargo… with only timid rookie Hector for company.
But when a gang of mysterious figures break into the platform and steal the mysterious consignment, the pair must embark on a thrilling undercover mission to find the stolen goods, redeem themselves as spies, and save the world from the brink of extinction.
Spycies Movie Review
Spycies is certainly on the lower budget end of the animation spectrum.
Noticeable textures in some scenes aren’t as detailed or clear compared to bigger budget rivals but with that said this feature still cost $20m to make!
Not exactly an independent film by any means!
Spycies kicks off with an action sequence but something about the scene feels disjointed.
There are some questionable angles during a chase sequence and some of the animations look questionable.
It’s in this very moment where I’m regretting pressing the play button knowing this film goes on for another 90 minutes or so.
But wait.
As soon as the opening sequence is completed. Everything improves instantly. A completely contrast of night and day proportion.
Now we have a movie!
Give It A Chance
I feel as thou Spycies tries to cater to both adults and children but falls short of the former.
As an adult, I couldn’t quite get into the opening of the film as much as I’d like but gradually in time, it vastly improved.
Thankfully the film is packed full of humour and great characters that it allowed the film to rise above its budgetary constraints.
Packed full of smart gadgets and lots of action to keep you entertained throughout Spycies absolutely flies by. There’s no lull or boredom. Something is always happening.
This slick little spy adventure has a surface level story but inserts deep characters into the midst. Hector is absolutely hilarious.
He’s the quirky, crazy rookie whereas Vladimir is the consummate professional. The stern spy with the jump start rookie.
Towards the end, a very rushed love story involving Hector falls absolutely flat on its face. It just popped up out of nowhere with zero context behind it.
It is a story we’ve seen a million times but Spycies has a certain charm to it.
It’s a charm that is quickly overshadowed by driving to drive an environment message down our throat.
I’d love to just watch one movie that for once didn’t push an agenda. First the man-hating Birds of Prey and now this. Gees. Take a break already.
Overall
Visually stunning with wonderfully animated action sequences, jokes aplenty and an engaging plot Spycies is the type of animated movie we should be seeing more often.
It does feel as thou the script was a little lost in translation with certain lines. With a tighter script this could have been iconic.
Loving the references to films like Die Hard, Avengers etc
See how many you can spot!
Ignore the Greta Thunberg angle towards the end and Spycies is well worth a watch.
Great fun for all the family and a special little animation indeed.
Spycies movie review by Sean Evans
Rating
Summary
Great fun for all the family and a special little animation indeed.
It’s funny and it’s endearing.
A good watch for all ages.
Kick back, relax and enjoy the ride!
