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"AGENT CODY BANKS: DESTINATION LONDON"
(2004) (Frankie Muniz, Anthony Anderson) (PG)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Mild Minor Heavy Minor Heavy
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Moderate None Moderate Minor Minor
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
*None Minor Minor Mild *Heavy


QUICK TAKE:
Action/Adventure: A 16-year-old C.I.A. spy travels to London to stop villains from taking control of the world's leaders via a mind control device.
PLOT:
Unbeknownst to his parents (CYNTHIA STEVENSON & DANIEL ROEBUCK) or younger brother, Alex (CONNOR WIDDOWS), 16-year-old Cody Banks (FRANKIE MUNIZ) is an undercover agent working for the C.I.A. While they believe he's away at a normal summer camp, Kamp Woody is really a covert training facility for young agents run by veteran spook Victor Diaz (KEITH ALLEN).

While he disappears during what appears to be a simulation, the C.I.A. director (KEITH DAVID) informs Cody that he's actually flown the coop with top-secret, mind-control software. With the aid of arts benefactor Lord Duncan Kenworth (JAMES FAULKNER), Diaz plans on gaining control over various world leaders.

Accordingly, the director assigns Cody to go undercover and stop the two before they take over the world. Arriving at Kenworth's London estate, Cody poses as a musical prodigy, along with other students such as Emily (HANNAH SPEARRITT), under the tutelage of conductor Isambard Jerkalot (JULIAN FIRTH). The only problem is that the junior agent has no idea how to play his clarinet.

For better or worse, he's aided by C.I.A. flunky Derek Bowman (ANTHONY ANDERSON) and his driver, Kumar (ROD SILVERS), and the small group of spies tries to uncover the villains' plans. As the latter go about their megalomaniacal efforts via dental assistant Santiago (SANTIAGO SEGURA), and Kenworth's wife, Josephine (ANNA CHANCELLOR), remains oblivious to what's occurring under her nose, Cody and his team set out to link Diaz and Kenworth together and stop them.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're fans of the first film or anyone in the cast, they just might.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG
For action violence and some crude humor.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • FRANKIE MUNIZ plays a 16-year-old covert spy for the C.I.A. who's assigned to stop several villains and their nefarious plans. Along the way, he lies to keep his cover and fights various villains.
  • ANTHONY ANDERSON plays his assistant, a disgraced agent who's trying to get back on good terms with the agency. Somewhat loud and clumsy, he often nearly blows Cody's cover but eventually aides him.
  • HANNAH SPEARRITT plays a young musician who turns out to be another covert agent who assists Cody and fights various villains.
  • KEITH ALLEN plays Cody's C.I.A. trainer who turns out to be a villain who wants to take control of the world leaders' minds. He fights with Cody and tries to kill him and Derek.
  • JAMES FAULKNER plays another villain who's posing as a musical benefactor.
  • SANTIAGO SEGURA plays his assistant who plants the mind control device into various people's teeth.
  • KEITH DAVID plays the Director of the C.I.A. who trusts Cody and assigns him to this important case.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG rated action/adventure flick. Violence consists of various bits of action/adventure-based fighting (with all sorts of hitting, kicking, struggling and apparent attempts on others' lives, including some fired missiles), while some slapstick style material is also present.

    Some of that violence and a few other scenes might be suspenseful to some viewers, but mostly only very young ones, while it and other material (including some colorful phrases) might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, some crude humor is present, and some characters drink or smoke. Finally, some veiled sexual references may or may not be present in the film (depending on what's read into them).

    Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Lady Josephine states that she's "pickled" from cold medicine.
  • Kenworth asks Diaz, "Care for a little drinky-winky?" His mind-controlled dog then pours some.
  • Diaz and Kenworth have drinks.
  • Miscellaneous people have champagne.
  • Miscellaneous people have wine.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • We hear a fart sound from Kenworth in an elevator.
  • Trying to create a diversion, Derek approaches some guards with beakers containing what he says is his urine for a test. He then accidentally spills one onto a desk. The urine also hits the guard's sandwich, and when Derek leaves, we see the guard take a bite out of the sandwich.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • The villains in the film obviously have bad attitudes.
  • Some viewers might be offended by a stereotypical portrayal (with accent) of an Indian girl.
  • Cody lies to others (including his parents) about his activities, but does so in the line of duty.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Scenes listed under "Violence" might be suspenseful or unsettling to very young viewers.
  • Derek briefly takes Cody into an on-the-water, haunted house type amusement attraction (that might possibly be a little scary to very young viewers, but it's just to get to a hidden headquarters).
  • Cody ascends an exterior wall via a cable, but nearly falls when part of the building breaks away.
  • Cody tries to race up the inside of an elevator shaft and get to safety before a descending elevator car hits him.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Shoulder-fired missiles/Various medieval weapons/Handguns: Carried or used by various characters to attempt to harm or kill others, with some resultant property damage. See "Violence" for details.
  • During a montage of spy practice, we see a spear gun as well as what looks like dynamite in a classroom.
  • As the implications of Diaz's actions are discussed, we see a still image of one of them in the form of a nuclear mushroom cloud.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "He's a whack job," "Hot chick" "I just love the smell of summer camp in the evening," "Screwed up," "Bonehead," "Geeks," "What in blue blazes is it?" "Haul some ass and get to class," "Dude, that did not at all suck," "Chrome dome," "Baldy," "Limey," "Don't get your knickers in a twist," "Miss tooty flutey," "What, are you nuts?" "Bring it on, baldy" and "Losers."
  • All of the fighting and stunts, etc. might be enticing for some kids to imitate.
  • A kid ties an intruder's shoe laces together, causing that man to fall.
  • A scientist spits out some tea or coffee (and lets it run down his chin) after saying it's too hot.
  • Derek coughs out some insults, but we couldn't understand what he said hidden in the cough.
  • While under the control of the villains, Cody flings food onto others at the dinner table (played for laughs).
  • We see that various dignitaries are under the villains' control that causes one to kick another, a man to thumb his nose at others, and a man to pour ice down the back of a woman's dress.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • A moderate amount of action-oriented dramatic and suspenseful music plays in the film.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • A song includes the term, "Good God."
  • PROFANITY
  • At least 1 ass and 1 use of "Good God."
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • None that we noted, but it's possible that the camp name ("Woody") and last name of the conductor ("Jerkalot") might be interpreted as sexual in nature by some.
  • SMOKING
  • Kenworth smokes a cigar (and has an unlit one in another scene), while some miscellaneous people smoke in several scenes.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Kenworth announces he's leaving his wife (to her surprise, but nothing else is made of this).
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Whether the C.I.A. would ever use kids as agents.
  • Diaz tells Cody that trust equals death and not to trust anyone, including him.
  • As the implications of Diaz's actions are discussed, we see a still image of one of them in the form of a nuclear mushroom cloud.
  • Musical prodigies.
  • VIOLENCE
  • Most of the following is played in a kid-based, action/adventure fashion rather than as graphic realism.
  • During a training exercise/competition, Cody punches and kicks one guy in the woods and then does a splits kick to kick two more guys.
  • Choppers hover over the camp and men with guns infiltrate it in what we're told is a simulation. During this, the kids kick, elbow and otherwise hit the intruders (including by opening a split table from the center into two men). Cody kicks one such intruder to the ground and then kicks him in the face.
  • A kid ties an intruder's shoe laces together, causing that man to fall.
  • Cody attaches a chain from a helicopter to a camp totem pole. The chopper eventually yanks the pole from the ground and Cody races to get a younger kid out of the way before it runs him over (and then causes some property damage when it crashes through a building).
  • A modified, robotic toy jumps on the Director's face and he struggles with it (played for laughs).
  • A scientist accidentally causes a small fire while showing Cody some gadgets.
  • Diaz purposefully breaks one of Kenworth's ancient vases.
  • A lobster pinches Derek's finger.
  • Diaz chases after Cody through the city street and fires a missile at him. It hits a car instead that explodes and flips over. He then fires several more at Cody and more explosions occur, the last two blowing up various large water bottles. During that, Cody rides with Derek on a moped that blasts through a glass window, through something else and then falls down to an alley when the two guys bail off it.
  • Cody and Diaz get into a fight with both blocking punches and kicks from the other. Diaz then hits Cody with a large, empty water bottle causing Cody to fall from a balcony (he grabs a chain and lowers to the street).
  • A person sprays some sort of knock-out spray into Cody's face, rendering him unconscious. This happens again to him, the C.I.A. director and Derek.
  • Diaz slaps a guy on the back of the head.
  • Derek elbows Cody in the face, knocking him out so that he and Emily can deactivate the mind control dental implant that's in his mouth (they use part of an explosive mint to destroy it, but that doesn't harm Cody).
  • We see that various dignitaries are under the villains' control that causes one to kick another.
  • Derek slaps a kid on the back of the head to make him go along with a lie.
  • Cody twists a guy's arm behind his back, does other things to him that we don't see, and then has the guy on his head.
  • A man hits another man over the head, knocking him out. He then sprays knock-out spray into the President's face, rendering him unconscious.
  • Under mind control by the villains, Derek repeatedly tries to punch Cody, does a spin kick that hits him and then puts him into a bear hug. He then has him over the edge of a stairwell.
  • Emily fights with a villain with punches, kicks, bending his arm behind him and then hitting him on the head with a computer keyboard.
  • Cody kicks Derek in the face to remove the mind control dental implant that's in his mouth.
  • Derek and Cody punch the C.I.A. Director in the face to remove his mind control device.
  • Kenworth apparently squeezes a sub-villain's testicles (we don't see the impact, but see the guy's facial expressions) and then slaps him on the head.
  • Cody and Diaz get into a fight with hitting and kicking and Diaz trying to hit Cody with various medieval type weapons. During this, a row of medieval battle axes fall and nearly hit Cody. Diaz then tries to hit Cody with a large elephant tusk that he then tries to press down into Cody on the floor. More fighting occurs, ending when a trunk's lid closes on Diaz's fingers.
  • During a fight, a guy is apparently hit in the crotch and a display case is broken, while other property damage occurs and a butler trips a villain.



  • Reviewed March 6, 2004 / Posted March 12, 2004

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