A sequel that someone asked for…
Directed by: Kevin Allen Starring: Frankie Muniz, Anthony Anderson, Hannah Spearritt, Keith Allen, Keith David, James Faulkner
When typing out the headings for this review, I had to double-check two things surrounding the following film: 1) That the film was actually real, as I do not remember this film being originally released, and 2) That this film was actually released in cinemas instead going straight-to-DVD. It just that when I hear the title Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London the ideas that form in my head are of an early-to-mid 2000’s direct-to DVD/Video film or an early 2000’s video game sequel. The reason for my way of thinking was that I didn’t think the original film deserved or desired a sequel.
To people of a certain age who grew up in the early 2000’s, you may remember the 2003 teen spy film Agent Cody Banks, starring Malcolm In The Middle star Frankie Muniz in the lead role with Lizzie McGuire star and fellow rising star Hilary Duff as his love interest. The film revolved around bullied 15 year old Cody who successfully applies for a junior agent position in the CIA’s Special Activities Division. He is immediately called into action to rescue a missing scientist as, being a minor, his identity is unknown to the film’s villain. The film was fine at entertaining its target demographic of children, but not many older. Having remembered seeing the original film not long after its release, this reviewer thought the film was fine but a little cliched. The issue that the film possessed was that it was trying to capitalise on the early 2000’s popularity of kid spy films but was failing to add anything new to the genre except for its culturally relevant lead actors.
Following the release and huge success of Spy Kids in 2001, which topped the US box office three weeks in a row, grossed $147 million dollars against a $35 million budget and earned widespread critical acclaim, filmmakers and studios were keen to copy the main premise and replicate its success. Two more Spy Kids sequels were released in 2002 and 2003 and grossed similar amounts despite declining critical reviews. The premise of young spies was working. Other films were aiming to replicate this premise. Anthony Horowitz’s popular Alex Rider book series was adapted into film with 2006’s (Operation) Stormbreaker, where a 14 year old boy is recruited into MI6. The film was criticised for its lack of originality and believability and recouped around half of its $40 million budget. In the middle of these two tentpoles comes Agent Cody Banks and its sequel.
The original Agent Cody Banks was released in March 2003. The film eventually grossed $58 million against a $28 million budget but received middling reviews from critics. However, the film was released during a time of popularity for its star Frankie Muniz. Thanks to his breakout lead role on the hit Fox sitcom Malcolm In The Middle (2000-06), which had earnt him one Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations, and the successes of films My Dog Skip (2000) and Big Fat Liar (2002), Muniz was seen as a bankable young star. With the added success of Agent Cody Banks to add to the pile, what would bethe next step taken by Muniz to further advance his budding acting career? Make an Agent Cody Banks sequel, except this time he’s in London.
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London was released on 12th March 2004 through MGM Studios. The film was directed by Kevin Allen (replacing Kevin Zwart), a British actor, writer and director who previous efforts had been the British dark comedy Twin Town (1997) and the Craig Ferguson-led The Big Tease (1999). The screenplay was written by Don Rhymer, whose previous two writing credits prior to this film had been Big Momma’s House (2000) and The Santa Clause 2 (2002), films that had turned out too well. Let’s see how it worked out.
Working at a summer camp that is actually a front for training young CIA operative, Cody Banks (Muniz) accidentally helps camp counsellor Victor Diaz (Keith Allen) escape the camp while under the pretence that the escape is part of a training drill. It is later revealed to Cody by the Director of the CIA (Keith David) that Diaz had escaped having stolen discs containing plans for a mind-control device, which he plans to use to brainwash the major world leaders and, you guessed it, take over the world. In order to stop Diaz, Cody is sent to London under the alias of a summer music academy student who will perform as part of an international orchestra housed at the estate of Lord Duncan Kenworthy (James Faulkner), who is believed to be aiding Diaz with his plans. With new gadgets and a clumsy new handler (Anthony Anderson) to help him out, Cody has to foil Diaz’s plans to… take over the world before time runs out.
Even though this film was released into international cinemas, this looks, sounds and moves like a direct-to-DVD sequel to the first Agent Cody Banks film. To start with, the cast feels smaller-scale. With the exception of Frankie Muniz, only three other main cast members return from the previous entry. Keith David reprises his role as the Director of the CIA, and Cynthia Stevenson and Daniel Roebuck return as Cody’s oblivious parents. Out goes Hilary Duff (I guess the relationship between herself and Cody that began at the previous film’s conclusion didn’t last), Ian McShane, Angie Harmon and Arnold Vosloo and in comes S Club 7 member Hannah Spearritt, Keith Allen doing his best Ray Winstone in The Departed impression, Anthony Anderson playing Anthony Anderson and Santiago Segura as the classic mad scientist henchman with the receding skullet. In addition, for a plot featuring mind-control as its main premise, the action and story feel smaller compared to the first film. Even Cody remarks on the fact that he has to go undercover as a school student once again. In fact, the plot feels like something out of a Saturday morning kid’s carton. I know this film is meant for kids, but I was expecting a plan more threatening than one that had probably previously been cooked up by Pinky & The Brain. There is some action, there is some combat but nothing really to write home about.
To hold up the comedy side of the ‘action comedy’ film, humour is attempted throughout the film but very few jokes actually land. Anthony Anderson tries to add as much schtick to his character as possible but the humour sometimes comes off as feeling rather half-hearted. Even the kids film staples of using bodily functions as humour are tested throughout the film including sporadic appearances from the classic farting and burping jokes. However, we are given the receipt of an old cross-eyed butler who pops up as a supporting character throughout the plot. Hell, he even features in the climax. To put it simply, the film is not funny if you are over the age of 12. Kids will enjoy the humour and will get a few laughs out of the film but it will be a long 100 minutes for any parent forced to sit through this film.
Another issue with the film is the problem of localisation. With Destination London being set in London, many of the supporting cast and background characters are English and let’s just say that the quality of dialogue given to these characters appears to have been taken from The Big Book Of British Stereotype Phrases. One person is called a ‘wally’, fellow academic student Emily (Spearritt) tells Cody ‘not to get his knickers in a twist’ and of course someone makes a reference to Mary Poppins. The main accents on display in this film besides American are either Cockney or Received Pronunciation (RP). Straight-to-DVD movie, I’m telling you.
The cast do what is required of them throughout the film, no more no less. Frankie Muniz plays Malcolm again (I don’t know if can see him playing anybody else) and does it well enough. Anthony Anderson tries and will be enjoyed by the target audience, but his performance didn’t do much for this particular reviewer. The team of villains is laughable and feels like something out of a cartoon, complete with the mad scientist, the posh aristocrat with the pencil moustache and the Brit portraying an American with a terrible accent.
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London opened at #5 at the US box office, grossing $8 million in its opening weekend, the second-biggest opening that week after Johnny Depp’s Secret Window (#2). It would remain in the US top 10 for two weeks before falling down the charts. In the UK, the film opened at #7, grossing $447, 020 behind other releases Dawn of the Dead (#1), and The Rundown (#4). The film would eventually gross $28 million worldwide against its $26 million budget, half as much as the previous film’s intake a year earlier. Post-Cody Banks, Frankie Muniz would provide the lead voice in Warner Bros. Racing Stripes (2005) (a film about a horse racing zebra), Anthony Anderson would provide a supporting role in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed (2006) (with Ray Winstone and his American accent, and Hannah Spearritt would appear the horror sequel Seed of Chucky (2004) and become a main cast member in the cult sci-fi series Primeval (2007-2011).
I would personally not recommend watching Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London unless you are a huge fan of the original. If you have kids aged 7-11 and need to keep them distracted on a weekend afternoon, then by all means put this film on. I will give the film credit in that I was never bored watching it. unless you are within the main target demographic, this film isn’t for you. Just watch Spy Kids 1 and 2 again. You’ll get more entertainment and humour out of those two films than you will out of this. This sequel was just plain unnecessary.
P.S. Look out for Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen)
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