Spies in Disguise – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2019 movie Spies in Disguise.

Story

The movie starts as a standard spy thriller reminiscent of older James Bond. It even has a Bond-style intro sequence. There’s a car chase, stakeout, and they add a great twist by inserting an awkward and slightly out there scientist and gadget maker.

The movie exploits the tropes of Spy Thrillers, Accidental Spy, and buddy comedy in a way that could have easily been cringe worthy but wasn’t.

The themes of the movie seem to be a combination of violence begets violence and to challenge tradition. Which is pretty subtle and backed up with some spectacular action sequences.

That being said, it was a little predictable.

Score: .5

Characters

The tough guy scared by loss who’s a super spy is a tired cliché and is used to make you dislike the character to start with and redeem him in the long run. Will Smith does a great job with a character that could have been less likeable than Daniel Craig’s Bond. Unfortunately the character spends far too much of the movie on bravado and complaining. It gets annoying.

The geeky scientist who is driven by a sad backstory is normally the villain. He has every earmark of turning bad, but the writers never even let you think it a possibility. He’s a stalwart believer in a non-fatal form of justice. (Spider-Man, is that you?)

The secondary characters are entertaining but the villain is utterly forgettable.

Score: .5

Dialogue

Quipy, intelligent, and delightful. The movie shines in it’s dialogue and visuals.

A nice bonus for both an animated movie and a spy story was that the techno-babble was coherent and based in real science.

Score: 1

Visuals

It was a beautiful movie. Using visuals to move the story forward and add humour. It’s a beautiful movie that would be hilarious even without sound.

Score: 1

Fun

Other than a few times I wanted to slap the Spy character or the spy agency people, I really enjoyed this movie. There’s action, adventure, humour, and a feeling that everything will work out.

Score: 1

Conclusion

This is one of the better spy spoofs that I’ve seen. It avoids a lot of the pratfalls of awkwardness and really delivers some clever laughs. Dragon laughed a lot and sat the entire time.

Final Score: 4 Stars

2016 Book Ranking

Last year I read 24 books, although one of them was my own.

If you’re in the mood for a fun YA mystery/fantasy go check it out. If you’ve already read it, leave a review or at least a star rating. Please and thank you!

A Study in Aether: A Baker City Mystery By Desmarais, Eric

5 Stars

  1. The Fearsome Foursome(Tales from the Haunted Mansion #1) By Arcane, Amicus
  2. Chaos Choreography (InCryptid #5) By McGuire, Seanan
  3. Late Eclipses (October Daye, #4) By McGuire, Seanan
  4. Oddly Normal Vol. 1 By Frampton, Otis
  5. An Artificial Night (October Daye, #3) By McGuire, Seanan

4 Stars

  1. Sky Road Walker By Carrière, S.M.
  2. Kiss and Tell (Veronica Mars, #2) By Thomas, Rob
  3. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Volume 1: Squirrel Power By North, Ryan
  4. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Volume 2: Squirrel You Know It’s True By North, Ryan
  5. Oddly Normal, Vol. 2 By Frampton, Otis
  6. Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting By Gordon, Brian
  7. One Salt Sea (October Daye, #5) By McGuire, Seanan
  8. Dragon’s Egg By Forward, Robert L.
  9. A Local Habitation (October Daye, #2) By McGuire, Seanan
  10. The Diamond Conspiracy(Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, #4) By Ballantine, Pip

3 Stars

  1. Heroine Complex (Heroine Complex, #1) By Kuhn, Sarah
  2. The Sleeping God (Dhulyn and Parno, #1) By Malan, Violette
  3. Death by Cliché By Defendi, Bob
  4. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Prelude By Abnett, Dan
  5. Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X, #1) By Mead, Richelle
  6. The Hunter’s Moon (The Chronicles of Faerie, #1) By Melling, O.R.
  7. An Accidental Goddess By Baker, Megan Sybil
  8. The Shining Girls: A Novel By Beukes, Lauren

What was your favourite book of the year?

Éric