Film Review: Spies In Disguise

This week's film review is another animated family film (we've been watching a lot as a family lately), this time the spy comedy Spies In Disguise released earlier this year. Directed by Troy Quane and Nick Bruno, staring the voices of Will Smith and Tom Holland, alongside Rashida Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Reba McEntire, Rachel Brosnahan, Karen Gillan, DJ Khaled, and Masi Oka in supporting roles.

Before I go further I will say that there will be spoilers, so if you intend to watch the film and don't like spoilers wait to see the film first.

Lance Sterling (Will Smith) a cocky secret agent of H.T.U.V. (Honour, Trust, Unity and Valour) is sent to recover an attack drone from an arms dealer in Japan, he is ordered to stand down when the buyer, cybernetically enhanced terrorist Killian (Ben Mendelsohn), arrives but breaks in anyway. Sterling defeats the arms dealers gang and escapes with the briefcase containing the drone. Back at headquarters he confronts young scientist Walter Beckett (Tom Holland) for equipping him with nonlethal weapons and fires him before he can fully explain his peaceful approach. On discovering the briefcase is empty Sterling is confronted by security forces agent Marcy Kappel (Rashida Jones) and her team Eyes (Karen Gillan) and Ears (DJ Khaled) with footage of him (Killian with a holographic disguise) stealing the drone and brands him a traitor. Sterling escapes and decides to get help from Walter to help him disappear.

While searching Walter's home for the "biodynamic concealment" invention Sterling drinks the concoction and turns into a pigeon. The two go on the run searching for Killian while being chased by Marcy and her team, in the process Walter works on an antidote for Sterling. They track Killian to Venice where he has stolen the H.T.U.V. agent database, Walter momentarily gets the database but Killian takes it back and prepares to hill him. Sterling and Walter manage to flee just as Marcy and her team catch up and discover that Killian used Sterling's face.

Walter reveals he put a tracker on Killian and while travelling to his hideout manages to create an antidote for Sterling making him human again. Sterling decides to take on Killian alone, as he is concerned for Walters safety, but gets captured by Killian as reveals his master plan: he has made drones to assassinate every agent of H.T.U.V. Walter is noticed returning and Killian blows up the submarine, but he survives and frees Stirling, after escaping they call Marcy for help as the drones approach headquarters. Walter attempts to hack into Killian's arm while Sterling, Marcy and her team fight Killian and the drones. Killian realises what Walter is doing and tries to flee but Walter catches him and deactivates his arm while trapping him in one of his peaceful inventions, however Walter falls to be saved by Sterling, once again in pigeon form, and a flock of pigeons.

Despite saving the world Sterling and Walter are fired for disobedience, but are quickly rehired to learn from Walter's more peaceful ways.

Well this is another incredible film for Blue Sky Studios who brought us the Ice Age saga, Epic, Rio and Robots amongst others, they really know what they are doing with animated family films.

I absolutely loved this film not only is the concept of a spy turned into a pigeon both ingenious and hilarious but the overall story line was brilliant and interesting, it was as good as or maybe even better than the more adult spy films. In addition to all that the characters were interesting and dynamic with superior acting from all involved plus so many funny moments throughout.

Let's start with the story line of the film, it's such an original idea having a scientist working on peaceful resolutions to conflict especially with the opening scene being Walter as a child working on these inventions and showing his mother, even after she is killed he continues while working for a spy agency. Then his invention accidentally turns one of the best spies into a pigeon, a brilliant and hilarious choice of animal. I really enjoyed the whole concept, with pigeons being so common everywhere it is the perfect disguise, although an antidote would have been useful beforehand but this only added to the hilarity of the film meaning Sterling had to learn how to be a pigeon and use it to his advantage. I also really liked how Sterling warmed to Walter's peaceful inventions and resolutions, then there was the surprise of Killian and Marcy at the use of them to keep Killian alive despite what he had done and tried to do. This showed the human element to all the characters and a bit of a metaphor for the world, there are those like Sterling who can be convinced to change their view, those like Marcy who need to see it in action to see the benefits and those like Killian who benefit from the results and realise there can be a better way, maybe even changing their ways because they are alive to do so. This aspect made the film more realistic, especially as it is set now where there are several issues that people are being encouraged to change their views on, it was an insightful decision to make the film like that when so may films like this just focus on getting the villain by any means necessary and in most cases the villain is killed. I especially like that the agency decided to take Walter's views on board and find a more peaceful way, it made for a great ending. I also really enjoyed how Sterling changed throughout the film, he started as an agent who was full of himself and worked alone but over the course of the film he came to rely on Walter and become friends with him, to the point he pushed him away to save him but then breaking down when he though Walter had been killed. It was really interesting to see the transformation of the character through being trapped in the form of a pigeon and this helped Walter become more confident as a person and with his inventions.

When it comes to the acting it was truly impressive from all involved, voice acting is much more difficult as you literally only have your voice to convey everything and that was done brilliantly here. I already knew that Will Smith is a great actor, this just proved it even more where he brought all the depth of the character through in his voice and all the emotions were evident. Tom Holland truly shone as Walter, he showed his talent here after building his career over the last decade, bringing across the the shy and confidence lacking start point of his character and the building confidence but also the earnest element that convinces Sterling of his peaceful view point, definitely the best character of the film. Ben Mendelsohn made a brilliant bad guy giving the the right amount of evil for the character but still being able to be redeemed in the end, he also showed how clever he is but not in a patronising sneering way, more of a matter of fact style. Then there is Rashida Jones who really brought Marcy to life, in particular the conviction she put into the character when accusing Sterling but even more so when she realises the truth and the regret in her voice is evident. I will also commend Karen Gillan and DJ Khaled who made Eyes and Ears two of the funniest characters in the film with the way they expressed things with each situation they got stuck in, especially when they get stuck in gum.

So overall i obviously loved this film and with both my wife and toddler loving it as well it is another firm family favourite, but then who wouldn't like Will Smith as a pigeon.

My rating for Spies In Disguise is 9.5/10