Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Information

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (also known as Spy Kids 3: Game Over) is a 2003 American science fantasy adventure film directed by Robert Rodriguez and the third film in the Spy Kids series. It was released in the United States on July 25, 2003. The film featured the return of many cast members from the past two films, although most were in minor roles and cameo appearances. A fourth film, entitled Spy Kids: All the Time in the World was released on August 19, 2011.

Plot

Juni Cortez, (Daryl Sabara) a former agent of the OSS, now works as a private detective but gets little profit for his work, four dollars and ninety-nine cents. He is contacted by the OSS and informed that his sister, Carmen Cortez, (Alexa Vega) is missing. He is reunited with Donnagon Giggles and his wife Francesca, who explain that Carmen was captured by the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone), a villain. The Toymaker was imprisoned in cyberspace by the OSS, but he has since created "Game Over", a virtual reality-based video game which he intends on using to escape cyberspace via players that reach Level 5, which is literally unwinnable. Juni agrees to venture into the game, save Carmen, and shut down the game.

In the game, which takes place in a full 3D environment, Juni finds the challenges difficult. He finds three beta-testers, Francis (Bobby Edner), Arnold (Ryan Pinkston) and Rez (Robert Vito), who launch him to the moon so that they'll have less competition on the way to Level 5. On the moon, Juni receives an opportunity to bring in a fellow ally to assist him, selecting his wheelchair-bound grandfather Valentin (Ricardo Montalban), who has been looking for the Toymaker for thirty years. He receives a power-up which gives him a robotic bodysuit, allowing him to walk and possess superhuman strength and durability. Juni ventures into a robot battle arena where he fights a girl named Demetra (Courtney Jines) in order to return to Earth and Level 2. He meets the beta-testers again who believe he is a player named "The Guy", who can supposedly beat Level 5. Rez is unconvinced and challenges Juni to a "Mega-race" involving a multitude of different vehicles. The only apparent rule of this game is "Win, at all costs." Juni wins the race with help from Valentin, and Demetra joins the group, she and Juni display romantic feelings for each other. Upon entering level 3, Arnold and Juni are forced to battle each other, the loser getting an immediate game over. Demetra swaps places with Juni and is defeated, seemingly getting a game over, much to Juni's sadness as he seems to have romantic feelings for her.

The group get to Level 4 where Juni finds Carmen, released by the Toymaker, who leads the group on. Juni follows a map given to him by Demetra to a lava-filled gorge. The group surf their way through the lava but Donnagon attempts to prevent them from reaching Level 5 to save them, but this fails. Outside the door to Level 5, after the other gamers start to think that Carmen and Juni are the deceivers and Rez threatening to give Juni a game over, the real "Guy" (Elijah Wood) appears and opens the door only to get a game over by an electrical shock (losing all of his apparent, 100 lives). Demetra appears, claiming to have got back into the game via a glitch but Carmen identifies her as The Deceiver, a program used to fool players. Demetra confirms this and apologizes to Juni. The Toymaker attacks the group with giant robot, Demetra shedding a tear and shutting the game down so Juni and the others can return to reality. However, it is revealed that Valentin released the Toymaker, the villain's army of robots attacking a nearby city.

Juni and Carmen summon their family members: Parents Gregorio and Ingrid, Gregorio's brother Machete, their Grandma, and Uncle Felix. With too many robots to handle, Juni calls out to their "extended" family, summoning characters from the first two films (including Fegan Floop and Alexander Minion, Dinky Winks and his son, scientist Romero (plus a Spork), and Gary and Gerti Giggles). The robots are destroyed except the Toymaker's. Valentin confronts Sebastian the Toymaker and forgives him for putting him in his wheelchair, which he had been trying to find him to do all those years. The Toymaker shuts down his robot and joins the rest of the Cortez family and their friends in celebrating their family.

Cast

• Daryl Sabara as Juni Cortez
• Alexa Vega as Carmen Cortez
• Ricardo Montalbán as Valentin Avellan
• Ryan Pinkston as Arnold (as Ryan James Pinkston)
• Robert Vito as Rez
• Bobby Edner as Francis
• Courtney Jines as Demetra
• Sylvester Stallone as Sebastian the Toymaker / His clones
• Antonio Banderas as Gregorio Cortez
• Carla Gugino as Ingrid Cortez
• Emily Osment as Gerti Giggles
• Matt O'Leary as Gary Giggles
• Mike Judge as Donnagon Giggles
• Salma Hayek as Francesca Giggles
• George Clooney as Devlin, the President of the United States
• Holland Taylor as Helga Avellan
• Cheech Marin as Felix Gumm
• Danny Trejo as Isador "Machete" Cortez
• Alan Cumming as Fegan Floop
• Steve Buscemi as Romero
• Bill Paxton as Dinky Winks
• Tony Shalhoub as Alexander Minion
• Elijah Wood as The Guy
• George Hurst as Uncle Gomez
• James Paxton as Little Dink/Dinky Winks Jr.
• Camille Chen as Processor
• Selena Gomez as Waterpark Girl

Soundtrack

[ link]

|rev2 = Filmtracks |rev2score = |rev3 = SoundtrackNet |rev3score = }}

The film score was composed by Robert Rodriguez and is the first score for which he takes solo credit. Rodriguez also performs in the "Game Over" band, playing guitar, bass, keyboard and drums, including the title track, "Game Over", performed by Alexa Vega.

Track listing

All selections composed by Robert Rodriguez and performed by Texas Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by George Oldziey and Rodriguez.

1. "Game Over" (vocals by Alexa Vega)
2. "Thumb Thumbs"
3. "Pogoland"
4. "Robot Arena"
5. "Metal Battle"
6. "Toy Maker"
7. "Mega Racer"
8. "Programmerz"
9. "Bonus Life"
10. "Cyber Staff Battle"
11. "Tinker Toys"
12. "Lava Monster Rock"
13. "The Real Guy"
14. "Orbit"
15. "Welcome to the Game"
16. "Heart Drive" (performed by Bobby Edner and Alexa Vega)
17. "Isle of Dreams (Cortez Mix)" (performed by Alexa Vega)
    • Tracks 17-18 produced by Dave Curtin for DeepMix.
18. "Superstar" (performed by Selena Gomez)
    • "Superstar" was not included in the film.

Release

Critical reception

The response to the film was mainly mixed. Bob Longino of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that "the 3D process will hurt your eyes, I got a terrible headache that lasted around 4 days, I couldn't sleep and my eyes were red and hurting a lot, after the headache ended, I was dizzy and sleepy for another 2 days, It's... Dangerous.", but also stated that it helped mask what he deemed as an overall lack of a story. Jim Lane of Sacramento News and Review called the 3D scenes "murky and purple like a window smeared with grape jell-o." Roger Ebert suggested that perhaps Rodriguez was held back by the film's technical constraints. Ebert also admitted to showing disdain for the 3D gimmick, saying that the picture quality with the 3D glasses is more murky and washed out than the crisper and more colorful 2D films. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle noted Carmen's absence for much of the film and criticized the plot's repeated scenes of Juni attempting over and over again to reach Level Five. Kimberly Jones of the Austin City Chronicle praised the visuals but called the plot twig-thin and stated that the parents' near absence in the story makes Rodriguez' continuing theme of family ties seem much less resonant than in the other films. The film earned Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor (Sylvester Stallone). Many fans online have claimed the film ripped off aspects of the cult classic Tron, from the virtual world and noted the similarities in the Mega Race sequence to the classic Lightcycle Battle in Tron.

Box office

The film opened with a surprising $33.4 million, but didn't quite live up to the first Spy Kids film. In the end, it grossed $111 million in North America. However, its overseas intake was double that of either of the first two Spy Kids films at $85.3 million, grossing a worldwide total of $197,011,982, making it the highest grossing film in the series. The film had a 3D effect which was not removable in the DVD, but only for some European DVD releases. A set of four 3D glasses, made of cardboard (Silver Screen Retail), was included with the DVD, although some DVDs did not have it.

Blu-ray version

A Blu-ray version of the film was released on August 2, 2011. This version is not in 3D and has entirely removed the reference from its title, now being called Spy Kids 3: Game Over. On December 4, 2012 Lionsgate released the 3D edition of Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over along with a 3D edition of The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl on a Blu-ray 3D double feature.

Sequel

A sequel, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, was released on August 19, 2011. The story revolves around two twins who cannot get along with their stepmother Marissa Cortez Wilson who married their father, Wilbur, a spy-hunting reporter. However unbeknownst to them, Marissa is a retired spy for the OSS (Organization of Super Spies) which has since become the world's top spy agency and former headquarters of the now-defunct Spy Kids division.

References to pop culture

• Video game series Halo and Metroid are mentioned just before the lava surfing scene.
• In the beginning of the "Mega-Race" scene, an AMD poster can be seen just above the tunnel.