Blumhouse wants to bring Friday the 13th — which hasn’t had a movie in well over a decade — back to the big screen.

The dispute over ownership of the Friday the 13th is one of the most storied in horror movie history. And while things have settled over the last few years, there’s another studio that wants in on the action. Blumhouse — the studio behind the new Halloween trilogy and this month’s The Exorcist sequel Believer — is interested in making Friday the 13th the focus of their next big project.

Speaking with Inverse, Blumhouse producer Ryan Turek said that Friday the 13th is definitely in the studio’s crosshairs (perhaps via a speargun?). “Jason [Blum] and I are definitely in agreement that Friday the 13th is the thing we would love to get our hands on. I really want to go back to the basics. You don’t need too many ingredients for a Friday the 13th film. You need summer camp, you need campers, and you need Jason Vorhees in a mask.” Jason Blum has previously expressed interest in acquiring rights to Friday the 13th.

As for the level of excitement at Blumhouse over the potential to resurrect the Friday the 13th franchise, he added, “Listen, I’ve gone on the record saying Halloween is the ultimate slasher film for me. That’s my favorite slasher film of all time. But Friday the 13th as a franchise is one that I just bow down to. I just love everything about it. And if we were able to live in both worlds, like we do with Halloween, then to be able to live at Crystal Lake for a while would be so incredible.”

There hasn’t been a new Friday the 13th movie since the awful 2009 reboot. And while a Friday the 13th TV series (no, not *that* one) is planned, with original final girl Adrienne King set for a recurring role, it really does feel like something Blumhouse may as well tackle. After all, before it went completely off the rails, David Gordon Green’s Halloween movies were looking like proper continuations of the stories and characters. And soon fans will need more Jason Voorhees, as Gun Media’s Friday the 13th video game’s own license will expire this year.

What do you think? Would Friday the 13th be a good property for Blumhouse to tackle next?

Arrow in the Head’s October Horror Movie Preview looks ahead to releases like The Exorcist: Believer, Totally Killer, and more

The spookiest month of the year has official begun! This year, October has a Friday the 13th to add to the usual Halloween Horror Fest, making this an extra special month for horror fans. Sure enough, the month is jam-packed with loads of horror movies that will be coming out theatrical and on streaming. With Saw X and The Nun in theaters now, here’s our definitive October Horror Movie Preview, packed with spooky movies you can check out all month long!

TOTALLY KILLER – Streaming, October 6

Coming to the Prime Video streaming service is director Nahnatchka Khan’s time travel slasher Totally Killer, which stars Kiernan Shipka as a modern day heroine who travels back in time to 1987 so she and a teenage version of her mom (played by Olivia Holt) can take down a masked maniac called the Sweet Sixteen Killer. Time travel + slashing + ’80s setting = high hopes for this one.

PET SEMATARY: BLOODLINES – Streaming, October 6

Directed by Lindsey Anderson Beer from a screenplay she wrote with Jeff Buhler (who was also a writer on the 2019 version of Pet Sematary), this prequel will take viewers back to 1969 so we can watch a young version of the character Jud Crandall (played here by Jackson White) discover sinister secrets and confront dark family history. White’s co-stars include Henry Thomas, Samantha Mathis, David Duchovny, and the legendary Pam Grier. Pet Sematary: Bloodlines will be streaming on the Paramount+ service.

V/H/S/85 – Streaming, October 6

The anthology franchise continues with V/H/S/85, which will be released through the Shudder streaming service, just like the last two entries (V/H/S/94 and V/H/S/99). The directors bringing us found footage horror this time around are David Bruckner (Hellraiser 2022), Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone), Gigi Saul Guerrero (Bingo Hell), Natasha Kermani (Lucky), and Mike P. Nelson (the Wrong Turn reboot). V/H/S/85 is the sixth V/H/S movie, but if you factor in the spin-offs SiREN (which was based on a segment from the first movie) and Kids vs. Aliens (based on a segment from the second V/H/S), it’s the eighth installment in the overall franchise. Or what one might call the “V/H/S Cinematic Universe”.

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER – Theatrical, October 6

Universal and Peacock forked over an amount somewhere in the range of $400 million to acquire the rights to distribute a new trilogy of The Exorcist sequels from Blumhouse Productions, Morgan Creek Entertainment, and director David Gordon Green (who previously directed a trilogy of Halloween sequels). In October, we’ll find out if that was a wise investment. Indeed. the film was supposed to open on Friday the 13th, only to move at the eleventh hour when it was announced Taylor Swift’s concert film would be opening the same day. The Exorcist: Believer stars Leslie Odom Jr. as a man who seeks the help of original The Exorcist character Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn reprises the role) when his daughter and her friend are possessed.

DEAR DAVID – Theaters, VOD, and Digital, October 13

Battling The Exorcist: Believer for Friday the 13th box office will be Dear David, based on a ghost story that went viral when BuzzFeed writer Adam Ellis wrote it out on Twitter in 2017. Augustus Prew plays Ellis, who becomes haunted by the ghost of a dead child named David. The film is directed by John McPhail, who previously brought us the awesome, Christmas-set zombie outbreak musical Anna and the Apocalypse.

DARK HARVEST – One Day Theatrical on October 11th, Digital on October 13

This Friday the 13th release sees the return of director David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) to the big screen horror game, being an adaptation of the novel by Norman Partridge. Here’s the synopsis: “In a cursed town, the annual harvest becomes a brutal battle for survival. On Halloween 1963, Sawtooth Jack, a terrifying legend, rises from the cornfields, threatening the town’s children. Groups of boys unite to defeat the murderous scarecrow before midnight. Richie, a rebellious outcast, joins the run, motivated by his brother’s previous victory. As the hunt progresses, Richie makes a shocking discovery and faces a pivotal choice to break the relentless cycle.”

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S – Theatrical and Streaming, October 27

A long-awaited feature adaptation of the popular video game franchise, Five Nights at Freddy’s will be streaming on the Peacock service the same day it reaches theatres. Directed by Emma Tammi, the film stars Josh Hutcherson and Matthew Lillard in the story of a troubled security guard who finds himself battling maniacal animatronic creatures in Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a darker version of Chuck E. Cheese.

SUITABLE FLESH – Theaters and Everywhere You Rent Movies, October 27

Brian Yuzna, Barbara Crampton, and Dennis Paoli worked with the late Stuart Gordon on some of the most popular H.P. Lovecraft adaptations ever made. Now they have teamed up with director Joe Lynch on a new Lovecraft movie that’s described as an “erotic body-swapping horror”. Suitable Flesh stars Heather Graham as a psychiatrist whose obsession with helping a patient leads her into dark occult danger.

November Bonus: THANKSGIVING – Theatrical, November 17

Sixteen years after director Eli Roth contributed the faux slasher trailer Thanksgiving to the Robert Rodriguez / Quentin Tarantino double feature Grindhouse, he’s finally bringing us a feature expansion of the concept. Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, and Gina Gershon are among the cast members who will be in danger of a slasher who terrorizes a small Massachusetts town during the Thanksgiving festivities. While this definitely isn’t an October release, it’s certainly a movie people will be buzzing about all month long, as a fresh horror movie from Eli Roth is always an event.

So, what do you think of this Fall Horror Movie Preview? How many of these movies will you be watching? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Crossroads, which starred a Razzie-winning Britney Spears, will be in theaters at the same time as Taylor Swift’s concert movie.

Britney Spears isn’t about to be outdone by Taylor Swift again, as her 2002 flick Crossroads is returning to theaters. OK, we have to admit here and now that she will once again be outdone by Taylor Swift…

While 2023 might seem like an odd choice for a re-release of Crossroads – 21st anniversaries aren’t typically celebrated on the big screen… – it is meant to coincide with the release of Britney Spears’ upcoming memoir, “The Woman in Me”. But this re-release of Crossroads, which will play on October 23rd and 25th, will also have it in theaters at the same time as Taylor Swift shakes it off with her Eras Tour concert movie, due out on October 13th. But will Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour have two bonus sing-alongs like Crossroads? We don’t think so!

Of course, the showdown between Britney Spears – who we hope is on the rebound – and Taylor Swift will be virtually nonexistent, as early predictions pegged The Eras Tour to make over $100 million on opening weekend. Those are the kind of numbers that shift release calendars completely, as it has been reported that movies ranging from The Exorcist: Believer to John Cena action-comedy Freelance to Martin Scorsese’s Oscar contender Killers of the Flower Moon have all changed release dates due to the concert movie. Crossroads will be offered in less than 900 theaters.

Speaking on Crossroads, director Tamra Davis said, “I recently rewatched Crossroads and was so enthralled with the time capsule of nostalgia that this incredible ensemble cast brings to the screen. Britney is absolutely breathtaking to watch, and Shonda is showing us her early expertise in writing complicated female characters.”

Widely panned upon release, the Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads would earn the most Razzie nominations for its year with eight: Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actress, Worst Screenplay, Worst Screen Couple (Spears and Anson Mount), two for Worst Original Song, and Most Flatulent Teen-Targeted Movie, whatever that means. Spears would “win” Worst Actress (tying with Madonna in “Swept Away”), while “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” took home Worst Song.

How do you think Crossroads will fare in its limited re-release? How much money do you think Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour concert movie will make?

Peacock says Bumper in Berlin is canceled after one season despite being renewed for another batch of episodes.

The Pitch Perfect spin-off, Bumper in Berlin, is getting bumped off. According to Deadline, Peacock is not moving forward with the sophomore season of the musical comedy series. Previously, the network renewed Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin for a second season in early January. Unfortunately, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin is another victim of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The fight for better representation, pay, and safety in the entertainment space is delaying productions across a broad spectrum, and Bumper in Berlin is getting swept up in the fallout.

While Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin is canceled, Universal says Pitch Perfect is still an essential part of its IP library. The franchise’s Elizabeth Banks continues developing projects with the studio, and Bumper in Berlin showrunner Megan Amram still has an overall deal with Universal Television.

Written and showrun by Megan Amram, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin follows Devine’s character, who moves to Berlin after learning he’s a hit in the land of quality beer, lederhosen, and courageous pornography. Throughout his journey, Bumper makes new friends, acquires a new rival, and discovers that fame and fortune don’t happen without much heart and hard work.

Joining Devine in the Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin trailer are Sarah Hyland (Modern Family, Shadowhunters), Flula Borg (Saturday Night Live, The Suicide Squad), Jameela Jamil (The Good Place, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), and Lera Abova (Anna, Good Side of a Bad Man).

“To think this journey began over 15 years ago – from the discovery of Mickey Rapkin’s book, to three incredible films, and now a television series. We could never have imagined the life that this story would take on. It was really important to us that ‘Bumper in Berlin’ be recognizable to the fans, for its irreverent comedy and phenomenal music, but also entirely distinct from what you’ve seen before. We wanted to honor The Barden Bellas and the ‘Pitch Perfect’ world, while expanding into a fresh and brilliantly weird character journey,” executive producer Elizabeth Banks said when Peacock announced the show. “This story is about second chances, friendship and the idea that your dreams can come true in unexpected ways – anywhere in the world, at any point in your life. When we brought Megan Amram on board, it was clear she shared that vision and brought the whole Berliner world and characters to life in a way that only Megan could.”

“With Bumper in Berlin, the other producers and I decided we wanted to expand the world of ‘Pitch Perfect’ into something recognizable yet unique. We wanted to keep what made the movies special but create a new world that felt completely original,” Amram remarked about bringing Bumper to the small screen.

Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin likely won’t be the only show getting canceled despite getting a second-season renewal as negotiations between the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and AMPTP continue. With talks happening today, our fingers are officially crossed for a swift and fair resolution.

In this episode of WTF Happened to This Celebrity, we look back at the turbulent life and times of a sci-fi icon, William Shatner!

Whether you know him as Captain James T. Kirk, Sgt. T.J. Hooker, Denny Crane, or General Mortars from National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1, William Shatner is one of entertainment history’s most iconic figures. The Canadian actor is seven decades into his career as a celebrated actor, science-fiction legend, author, musician, and more. His career began in 1951 when he landed a small role in the Canadian comedic drama The Butler’s Night Off. Compared to actors like Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford, Shatner continued building his credits on the Broadway stage and performing minor roles in television and film.

Shatner eventually entered the world of science-fiction with a part in two episodes of The Twilight Zone: “Nick of Time,” and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” In 1966, Shatner beamed up as the captain of the USS Enterprise, James T. Kirk. When his history-making role ended after three seasons and seventy-nine episodes, Shatner hit a wall. He’d become a victim of typecasting, finding it impossible to shake the James T. Kirk persona from his shadow. He began haunting the sets of B-movies and returning to television for guest roles. When Star Trek fans organized a swell of enthusiasm for the series, the property returned significantly, with Shatner crowned a favorite of the enthusiastic Trekkies.

The resurgence of Star Trek helped get Shatner back on track after labeling him an integral part of science-fiction entertainment history. Taking note of his celebrity, Shatner rose like a mighty phoenix with cherry roles on shows like Boston Legal, TekWar, and T.J. Hooker.

With time marching on, Shatner’s reputation has had its ups and downs. Beyond agreeing to host the science documentary I Don’t Understand with William Shatner, a project that landed him in the hot seat in the political aisle, Shatner also went to space, joining a flight that took him 66 miles above planet Earth. When he returned, Shatner said his trip to space “felt like a funeral” for Earth, a sentiment many found depressing and fatalistic.

Join us as we look back on the life and times of William Shatner, investigating the twists and turns of his legacy with more scrutiny than Spock trying to navigate a modern-day smartphone.

WTF Happened to William Shatner is written by Brad Hamerly, with edits and narration by Taylor James Johnson.

Taika Waititi has not only turned in multiple drafts of his Star Wars script but he has another one due after the WGA strike settles.

Despite the rumor mill spitting out that Taika Waititi was no longer attached to a Star Wars movie, word has now come out that the writer/director is indeed still pressing forward with his script.

According to The Hot Mic’s Jeff Sneider (via The Bespin Bulletin), Taika Waititi had not only been putting a lot of focus on a Star Wars script but will be turning in yet another draft in the future. “It’s not dead. Taika has turned in multiple drafts at this point and other writers as well have touched it. Taika owes them [Lucasfilm] another draft after the [WGA] strike is over.”

The word that Taika Waititi had never actually finished a script for a Star Wars entry was no doubt brought on by Waititi himself, who made mention of it at the Toronto International Film Festival – where his latest movie, Next Goal Wins, premiered – while honoring Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy with an award. “Once he’s had his way with that [Deadpool] franchise, like a cruel and indiscriminate virus, he’ll move on to another, and another, and another. And then eventually, probably Star Wars. And unlike me, there’s hope he actually manages to finish the script for that.”

Taika Waititi has been tied to a Star Wars outing for over three years, so it wouldn’t have been that far-fetched if his project had come to a standstill. That he has been working and the only apparent snag has been the Writers Guild of America strike is certainly promising. Hopefully, those of us looking forward to his spin will be getting a final draft soon enough, as many think the strike could be nearing its end due to multiple meetings between the WGA and the AMPTP.

Taika Waititi was a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he took over the Thor movies with 2017’s Ragnarok, a clear fan favorite. But Star Wars is a different entity entirely and one false move could find the upcoming set of films – with entries from the likes of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold, and Patty Jenkins – spoiled altogether.

Do you think Taika Waititi is good for the Star Wars universe? What do you think he could bring to the franchise?

The “Jason Statham vs. giant sharks” film Meg 2: The Trench will begin streaming on the Max service later this month

Meg 2: The Trench, director Ben Wheatley’s sequel to Jon Turteltaub’s 2018 “Jason Statham vs. a giant shark” adventure The Meg (watch it at THIS LINK), has racked up almost $400 million at the global box office since reaching theatres at the start of August. Now the film, which has been available on PVOD since the end of August, is ready to start streaming. Variety reports that Meg 2 will be available to watch on the Max streaming service as of next Friday, September 29th.

Variety notes that, “In order to stream the film, you’ll have to sign up for a Max account, with subscriptions starting at $9.99/Month. You can also access Max through Prime Video’s add-on, which offers a 7-day free trial.”

You can read our review of Meg 2: The Trench at THIS LINK and read our interview with Wheatley HERE.

The screenplay for Meg 2: The Trench was written by Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber, and Erich Hoeber, the same writing team that was on the first film. These films are inspired by a series of novels written by Steve Alten.

Jason Statham is back in the lead as rescue diver Jonas Taylor and is joined in the cast of the sequel by returning co-stars Cliff Curtis, Shuya Sophia Cai, and Page Kennedy, as well as Sienna Guillory (Resident Evil: Apocalypse), Skyler Samuels (The Gifted), Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Rambo: Last Blood), and Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior II).

Meg 2: The Trench will be receiving a 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD release on October 24th. If you buy the digital version, the 4K, or the Blu-ray, you’ll get to see the following bonus features:

The Making of Meg 2: The Trench – Cast and crew revisit the making of the film and working with new and returning cast members, then highlight the beauty and challenges of working with a Meg they can’t see!​

Up From the Depths: Even More Beasts – Director Ben Wheatley, cast, and producers guide fans through the creation and design of the new creatures seen in Meg 2: The Trench.

Have you seen Meg 2: The Trench? Will you be checking it out on Max? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Check out the trailer for the UFO and alien sighting docu-series Encounters, coming from Amblin and Netflix next week

Last month, we learned that Steven Spielberg‘s Amblin Television is teaming up with Boardwalk Pictures and Vice Studios to bring the four-part docu-series Encounters to the Netflix streaming service on September 27th. With that date right around the corner, we’ve gotten our hands on a trailer for the series and you can check it out in the embed above.

Yon Motskin, creator of the Max series Generation Hustle, has directed the four episodes of Encounters, which will explore four extraordinary true stories of encounters with otherworldly phenomena. Each episode tells a single story: strange lights in the sky over small-town Texas; submersible space crafts haunting a coastal Welsh village; an alien encounter with schoolchildren in Zimbabwe and non-human intelligence reportedly interfering with a nuclear power plant in Japan. Told from the perspective of firsthand experiencers – in the places where the sightings occurred – and guided by scientists and military personnel, the series highlights the profoundly human impact of these encounters on lives, families, and communities.

Motskin also executive produced the series with Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey of Amblin Television, Andrew Fried, Jordan Wynn, and Dane Lillegard of Boardwalk Pictures, and Andrew Freston, Danny Gabai, Derek Mead, and Jason Koebler of Vice Studios. Patrick Altema served as co-executive producer for Boardwalk Pictures. That company previously made the four-part docu-series Pepsi, Where’s My Jet? for Netflix.

Of course, a show with this subject matter and the title Encounters coming from Amblin is a nod to Spielberg’s own Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

What did you think of the Encounters trailer? Are you interested in stories of UFO and alien sightings, and will you be watching this show when it starts streaming on Netflix next week? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Encounters seems interesting enough to me, so I’ll probably check the docu-series out at some point. I would be terrified anytime something related to UFO and alien sightings (like Time-Life commercials) would show up on TV when I was a kid, so with this and their revival of the always bone-chilling Unsolved Mysteries it seems like Netflix is working to bring back my childhood nightmares.

The latest entry in Robert Rodriguez’s kid-friendly adventure franchise is as silly as the previous ones but lacks the celebrity cameos.

PLOT: When the children of the world’s greatest secret agents unwittingly help a powerful Game Developer unleash a computer virus that gives him control of all technology, they must become spies themselves to save their parents and the world.

REVIEW: Robert Rodriguez has always had two distinct film output: mature genre offerings aimed at adult audiences and family-friendly action flicks aimed at the youngest viewers. While Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios has used in-house special effects work to deliver pulpy flicks like Machete and the recent Hypnotic, the full-blown CGI worlds of the Spy Kids films have given the indie filmmaker a playground to make every childhood fantasy come to life. After four films centered on the Cortez family of spies, Rodriguez and his son Racer Max have written a franchise reboot centered on two new pint-sized agents as they use their knowledge of video games to save their parents and the world. Spy Kids: Armageddon is a decidedly low-budget affair that is bound to entertain only the youngest of viewers as it struggles to find the charm that the original cast brought to the first film in the series.

Spy Kids: Armageddon sticks very closely to the formula of the four prior entries in the franchise. The new multi-ethnic spy family here is the Tango-Torrez clan. Nora (Gina Rodriguez) and Terrence (Zachary Levi) are the parents and secret spies, taking over for Carla Gugino and Antonio Banderas, as well as Jessica Alba and Joel McHale. Nora and Terrence are parents to Patty (Everly Carganilla) and Tony (Connor Esterson), two precocious grade-schoolers who love video games and technology. Terrence has locked down their use of devices due to his fear of what technology can do in the wrong hands. Like their predecessors, Terrence and Nora work for OSS and report to Devlin (D.J. Cotrona taking over for George Clooney). Terrence invented the Armageddon Code, a powerful tool to hack any tech. That code is also what game designer Rey Kingston (Billy Magnussen) wants so that he can take over the world using his popular Lowscor and Hyscor video game franchise.

Once the Armageddon Code is stolen by Kingston, Patty and Tony become official OSS agents to rescue their parents as well as being way better at video games than the Boomers and Gen-Xers who run the spy agency. Conveniently, Terrence and Nora built a safe house full of training material, candy, and gadgets for the pint-sized kids to employ as master spies. From there, the film blends Robert Rodriguez’s prior films’ over-the-top action and pratfall comedy with the family-friendly CGI monsters of Kingston’s video game realm. Like the second and third films in the series, Spy Kids: Armageddon spends more than half of its running time inside a video game realm that looks cartoonish and not at all scary. If anything, the character design is a cross between the aesthetic of the prior movies mixed with an homage to Ray Harryhausen. The skeleton warriors were a highlight and reminded me of how fun old-school stop-motion was. While the skeletons are a fun and silly callback to Clash of the Titans, the CGI reminds me of just how silly the Spy Kids movies are.

The Spy Kids movies have always been aimed at a young audience and do not grow with their target viewers, meaning each sequel holds less nostalgia than the ones that came out when I was younger. Adults will groan at Zachary Levi and Billy Magnussen’s over-the-top performances, delivered so broadly that even the youngest watching can read the emotion on their faces. There is little subtext in movies like this, but Gina Rodriguez gives a solid performance that is easily the best in the whole movie. Unfortunately, the kids themselves are nowhere near the talent that Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara brought to the first movies. I hate to knock child actors, but these kids shift wildly from scene to scene. At one moment, they believably exist in this fantastical adventure, and in others, they sound like they are reading recipe instructions with out-of-character enthusiasm. Little kids may relate to these youthful protagonists, but adults will be left groaning at the poor quality of the overall story.

The silliness of the Spy Kids movies was always front and center, but it was offset by tons of famous faces gracing the movies in ridiculous roles. The star power of the first films is virtually nonexistent here, with none of the signature cameos that made the first movies bearable. While Zachary Levi is known as Shazam by most audiences, when he is the biggest star in the movie, you have a problem. None of Robert Rodriguez’s repertory players even make a brief appearance here. Even Cheech Marin or Danny Trejo could have boosted this movie a bit. Instead, there is nothing for grown-ups to latch onto as this movie skews towards the pre-teen set. Co-written with his son, Racer Max, Robert Rodriguez made this project a family affair. Like The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, based on an idea by Racer Max, Spy Kids: Armageddon is the most ridiculous movie that Rodriguez has made to date while still having credible production values, editing, and music.

Spy Kids: Armageddon is easily one of the weakest movies that Robert Rodriguez has directed and would never have warranted a big-screen release. Even as a Netflix original, Armageddon is less enjoyable than the prior entry to debut on the platform, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World. At least that movie tried something original by having only one of the parents be a spy. Here, the biggest twist is that one of the kids doesn’t want to be a spy because lying is wrong, but that conceit goes out the window once the action kicks into gear. Even at 97 minutes, this movie feels an hour too long and will not be fun for anyone but the youngest of viewers, and I think even they will be bored after half an hour. A weak movie in a franchise that should never have gone past one sequel, Spy Kids: Armageddon is not good at all.

4