Agent Cody Banks | | Cast : | Frankie Muniz, Hilary Duff | | Director : | Harald Zwart | | Studio : | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | March 14, 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | June 08, 2004 | | Language : | French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 26, 2005 | | Summary | Think of it as James Bond for kids... | Content
 | I'm sure if you liked James Bond 007, then you, as well as an American or a Canadian kid, would love this movie. It's fun and funny; just proves how weird those Northwesterners really are! (No offense...)
And the DVD is good, too: you can watch it in widescreen or fullscreen, and I especially enjoyed "How To Talk To Girls" - don't worry, I know which is fact and which is myth.
And, did you know this DVD has an easter egg? While no website makes any mention regarding easter eggs on the Region 1 (this one) release at all, but there's plenty for the Region 2 UK version, this DVD (R1) actually has an easter egg! On side 2, go to the bonus features. On the first page, go down to the middle of the menu and press the left arrow. A circle will be highlighted. Hit "Enter" and you will see a minute-long deal from the director about goofs from the film (like when Ronica tries to take off her jet pack) and ends with "From now on, when you see these parts, you'll know what's wrong!" I was able to find this out because the menu designs for Region 1 are identical to those in Region 2, give or take a few MGM trailers. Editors: take note.
American and Canadian kids, if you want an exciting adventure movie, call for Banks...Cody Banks.
WARNING: US/Canada DVD (this one) contains double earclap in kitchen-fighting scene (not present on British version as that would have been a '15.' See my "Airplane!" review for US equivalent.) |
| Rating | | | Date | July 20, 2005 | | Summary | two thing wrong which screwed the movie | Content
| and its hilary duffs acting otherwise it would have gotten a five
and it wasn't so much a comedy as it was meant to be |
| Rating | | | Date | July 11, 2005 | | Summary | A Suprisingly Good Flick | Content
| The dream of every teenage boy is portrayed in this underrated flick.What boy woudn't want to drive a cool car,work for the CIA, have a hot handler, kiss Hilary Duff, and save the world. A great addition to a getting boring spy gere. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 05, 2005 | | Summary | Best movie I've seen in years! | Content
| To be completely honest, my expectations for the movie weren't too high when I went out and got it. Actually, the only reason why I got the movie was because I liked Frankie Muniz's acting in Malcolm in the Middle. However, to my surprise, the movie was extremely entertaining.
Plot was a gold mine: Movie totally made sense didn't leave you guessing, you understood everything that was going on and they still managed to make it funny!
The acting was wonderful: Frankie (Cody Banks) did his usual great job as an actor, Angie Harmon (Ronika) did a spectacular job, and Hilary Duff has done better than ever before!
The gagets in the film were wicked (which is a synonym for the word 'very' if you don't live on the east coast)cool and realistic, all of the gadgets that were supposed to look like iPods actually did!
The action was the best: The actors did great jobs with all of the action they were involved in, and when the stunt doubles were used, which really wasn't that often, it was belivable.
Deffinetally deserves ***** and you need to buy it. In all honesty, In two days I had watched the movie twice, the movie with the commentary on, and all of the special features. On that note you deffinetally need to watch/listen to the commentary,it's funny and cool.
Overall, it's a must see, and it is the best movie I've seen in at least 5 years. On top of that kids, teens, and adults will all love it!
***** (If I could give it more I would) |
| Rating | | | Date | March 30, 2005 | | Summary | Creepy? We're the CIA, creepy is what we do. | Content
| This was a very stylish and respectful homage to the great Bond films. Over the years, I have seen Hollywood disrespect this genre with horrible adaptations and overwhelming clichés that almost give the Bond films a bad name. It always seems like if someone wants to make a spy film, you have to pay homage to the God of spy films, James Bond, and whether you give a good sacrifice or a bad one is how the audiences will react to the finished cinematic project. Luckily, Agent Cody Banks gives a great sacrifice to the films and takes off running on its own two feet without ever disrespecting the genre. Muniz is exceptional as the suave spy that has trouble with the ladies, and a strong secondary cast (that involves Hilary Duff, Angie Harmon, Keith David, and Ian McShane) only helps build the amazingly lighthearted feel to this film. I was shocked how much I enjoyed watching this. From the little jokes, to the copious amounts of action and violence, this film is one of those rare finds that works well for children, but also gives the adult at least an hour of entertainment.
I think what makes this a memorable film is the simplistic, yet very stylistic story that doesn't try to outdo itself. I think that is where this movie succeeds. In some spy films, the filmmakers are more centralized on the big explosions or the complexity of the bad guys plan, instead of trying to build a story from the ground up. That is where Agent Cody Banks excels. It gives us the heroine right up front as well as what he must do. There is no wish washing around the truth, just a straightforward story that keeps your attention by giving us this portrait of an every-man instead of some super-sleuth. The fact that Muniz cannot talk to women only grounds him and makes him more realistic and enjoyable. I never found myself thinking about where this guy came from, how he spent his money, and what were his hidden dark secrets because ... he was a kid. It was simply explained. I completely demise those films that try to build more upon a character than what is needed. This has the unfortunate side effect of ruining a story, but thankfully director Harald Zwart chose to stay on a very straight path. With his focused direction and skillful editing, he creates a beautiful homage to the great Bond films that heartily deserved a sequel.
Overall, I was impressed. I didn't think I was going to be and basically had written this film off until I actually watched it. This is one of those multi-pleasure films where children, and adults, of all ages will grab ahold of something and enjoy it. Me, it was the CIA director that continually made me laugh as well as Darrell Hammond's portrayal of Earl, the CIA scientist that equips Cody Banks with all the cool Bond gadgets. His role was sheer dynamite and he did exceptionally well with it. It is these types of surprises that allowed this film to keep its head above water. Now, this film is no feat of brilliance, but it does provide a good hour and a half of entertainment that I was not expecting. Check this film out if you are interested is trying something new and fresh. If you are not a fan of the series, Malcolm in the Middle, do not worry, Muniz plays away from his television character and defines himself as a pretty decent actor. I recommend it!
Grade: **** out of ***** |
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