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Moviegoers love a good spy movie: the action, the intrigue, the life-threatening situations. They just make for a thrilling (and generally brainless) couple of hours. And Spies in Disguise takes the classic genre and gives it a silly twist that will keep kids giggling.
Spies in Disguise goes on the run with super spy Lance Sterling (voiced by Will Smith). After a deadly weapon goes missing and Sterling is framed for the crime, he’s forced to turn to eccentric young gadgets guy Walter Beckett (Tom Holland), who claims to have developed a way to make him invisible. Little does Sterling know that the magic serum actually turns him into a pigeon. And with the agency on their tail, Walter and the spy-pigeon race around the globe in an attempt to retrieve the weapon and clear Sterling’s name.
What follows is a whole lot of action-packed silliness as the ultra-smooth, overconfident super spy ends up dealing with a whole new reality as a bird. He can’t use the same deadly moves. He can’t intimidate the enemy. He can’t even figure out how to fly. And he ends up being taken in by a motley flock of misfit birds. It’s all a little…odd. Some of the jokes are awkward. And, admittedly, the story tends to be a bit jumbled. But there’s also something oddly amusing about this pigeon spy and his lovable young friend.
Walter is a lovable character—an exceptionally inventive but eccentric young guy who wants nothing more than to create gadgets that will help people. He doesn’t want to blow things up. He doesn’t want to hurt anybody. He wants to protect people and make the world a better place. For that reason, people at the agency think he’s “weird.” But he’s determined to do things his own way, no matter what other people think—and that makes him the kind of character that kids will relate to (and learn from, too).
Meanwhile, the filmmakers couldn’t have found a better star for the film. Using just his voice, Will Smith brings a Men in Black vibe. He’s cool and confident and totally suave, but he doesn’t take himself so seriously that he can’t pull off the movie’s bizarre pigeon comedy. And he’ll help to keep kids entertained through the whole crazy adventure.
If you want to get the kids out of the house for a little adventure during their winter break, Spies in Disguise offers action, laughs, and a pretty cool soundtrack, too. It may have a few cringe-worthy moments, but it’s still good for some silly family entertainment.
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