"Spies In Disguise" Review: Great Message In A Fun Ride
There’s only one spy that we really focus on in Spies In Disguise. While the name may be misleading, you don’t really need more people in a film when you have the charismatic charm of Will Smith. It’s a fun, comedic, espionage animation that manages to pack a great message without hammering it home.
Lance Sterling (Will Smith) is the world’s number one spy. He’s so good, bad guys know him by name and shutter when he’s in their presence. His fellow secret agents and colleagues at work do as well in that rockstar kind of way. This includes a nerdy tech officer named Walter (Tom Holland). Walter’s latest gadget, kitty glitter, gets Lance out of a sticky situation in the field, but not in the particular loud style that Lance is accustomed to and demands. So the two meet under circumstances in which Lance attempts to give Walter a stern talking to with walking papers. Simultaneously, Lance is moved on the agency’s wanted list after a doppelgänger steals a top secret killer drone.
Forced on the run to clear his name, Lance enlists the help of Walter, who just happens to have made an elixir that can change a person into a pigeon for spy purposes. With a new identity, Lance goes after the villain who stole his identity. Along the way, he learns the value of teamwork while Walter learns to believe in himself.
There’s a message at the heart of Spies In Disguise that needs to be heard by everyone. You have to look past Will Smith’s animated charm, DJ Khaled’s interesting voice acting debut, and the humor. Be yourself and it’s ok to be weird are a couple of the messages, but the deeper message we can gain from the movie is that we should try our best to solve conflict without destroying the person or entity we’re in conflict with. All of Walter’s gadgets are non-lethal but are still effective. After Joyless (Reba McEntire) tells Walter that he’s the future of the organization, I couldn’t help but think she was talking to the young kids in the audience. They have the ability to change the world, but it may be too late for the generations currently in power.
Spies In Disguise is an enjoyable time at the movies for families. You’ve definitely seen the character archetypes before, but its messages are worth hearing. If there is a better way to resolve conflict, choose it! At the very least you’ll learn that pigeons fly as fast as ninety miles an hour!
Rating: B
