Spy Kids: All the Time in the World

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World
Directed by	Robert Rodriguez
Produced by	Robert Rodriguez Elizabeth Avellan
Written by	Robert Rodriguez
Starring	Jessica Alba Rowan Blanchard Mason Cook Joel McHale Daryl Sabara Alexa Vega Ricky Gervais Jeremy Piven
Music by	Robert Rodriguez Carl Thiel
Cinematography by	Robert Rodriguez Jimmy Lindsey
Editor(s)	Dan Zimmerman
Studio(s)	Troublemaker Studios Dimension Films
Distributor	The Weinstein Company
Released	August 19, 2011
Running time	88 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$27 million
Gross revenue	$38,538,188
Preceded by	Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
Followed by	Spy Kids: Armageddon

"Small Time Spies. Big Time Adventure."

—tagline, Spy Kids: All The Time in the World

Spy Kids: All The Time in the World (often referred to as Spy Kids 4D, Spy Kids 4: All The Time in the World, and Spy Kids 4D: All The Time in the World) is a 2011 American 4D spy adventure comedy film directed by Robert Rodriguez and it is the fourth movie in the Spy Kids film series. The film stars Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Rowan Blanchard, Mason Cook, Ricky Gervais, and Jeremy Piven in a dual role. It was released on August 19, 2011. It is the first and only film of the series that uses "Aroma-scope" which allows people to smell odors and aromas from the film via scratch & sniff cards (reminiscent of the 1981 film Polyester) last used theatrically in the 2003 animated film Rugrats Go Wild. This is the first film without the participation of Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino and the distribution of Miramax Films.

Plot

OSS agent Marissa Wilson is attempting to capture a criminal named Tick Tock, who purchases a mini-disk stolen from the OSS. Despite being nine months pregnant, she continues her pursuit against the admonitions of her boss Danger D'Amo. Tick Tock is captured and the mini-disk, which contains information on a weapon of mass destruction called Project: Armageddon, is retrieved.

At the hospital, Marissa meets her spy-hunting TV host husband, Wilbur, who thinks she is an interior decorator, and her two stepchildren, twins Rebecca and Cecil. Marissa gives birth to a daughter, Maria. Rebecca does not accept Marissa as a replacement for her deceased mother and delights in playing pranks on her. Attempting to strengthen her rapport with Rebecca, Marissa gives her a red-sapphire necklace that she says her own parents gave her when she was Rebecca's age.

The media reports that time is speeding up at an increasing rate. A criminal mastermind called the Time Keeper claims responsibility, saying he will unleash Project: Armageddon as punishment upon a society he believes wastes time with meaningless pursuits instead of treasuring time with one's loved ones. The Time Keeper demands that Tick Tock bring him the Chronos Sapphire, which is revealed to be the jewel in the necklace Marissa gave Rebecca. The OSS calls Marissa out of retirement, and instructs her to bring the Chronos Sapphire with her. When Marissa asks for it from Rebecca, it further strais their relationship. When Marissa arrives at OSS headquarters, she discovers that the box Rebecca gave her did not contain the jewel, but it contained baby food.

Tick Tock's henchmen break into Marissa's house, and Rebecca and Cecil are directed to take refuge in a Panic Room, where they view a video of Marissa informing them of her secret career. The twins escape and go to OSS headquarters, where Marissa's niece and their step-cousin, Carmen Cortez, gives the twins a tour of the defunct Spy Kids Division.

As Marissa pursues Tick Tock, Rebecca and Cecil go after the Time Keeper. Their search leads them to a clock shop, which is Tick Tock's headquarters. The twins view a video of the Wells Experiment, which reveals the nature of the Chronos Sapphire in Rebecca's necklace. The twins are captured by Tick Tock, but are rescued by Marissa and Carmen, though Tick Tock manages to steal the Sapphire. Wilbur's investigations lead him to the clock shop, but he is shocked to learn that Marissa is a spy. When he destroys the footage that he and his cameraman filmed of the battle, he is fired, and becomes estranged from Marissa and the children.

As time continues to speed up, OSS agents are debriefed on the Wells Experiment. The OSS shut down the experiment, and placed the device under lockdown. Among the agents assigned to the case is Carmen's estranged brother, Juni Cortez. The twins confront Danger over the fact that his watch is similar to the one worn by the Time Keeper, and his name is an anagram of "Armageddon." He reveals he is the Time Keeper and imprisons them. When a group of OSS agents led by Marissa, Carmen, and Juni return to the clock shop to confront the Time Keeper, he freezes the agents in time using circuity in their ID badges. Juni, whose badge was thrown away by Carmen, manages to free Marissa and Carmen.

Danger reveals his father was head of the Wells Experiment, and he was the boy frozen in time. His father spent the rest of his life trying unsuccessfully to set him free. The OSS managed to shut down the experiment with the Chronos Sapphire. Now Danger plans to use the Armageddon Device in go back in time to spend more time with his father. Cecil deduces that Danger has already tried this multiple times, and each time he comes back worse, pointing out that Tick Tock and his minions are all versions of Danger. Rebecca, who sympathizes with Danger, tells him he should use what time he has wisely, instead of trying to acquire more of it. When Danger's time vortex opens, he steps through and meets his father in the past, but returns an elderly man, and realizes that Cecil was right, as he could not change anything. He shuts down the device, and Tick Tock is apprehended by Wilbur, who is reunited with Marissa and the children. Carmen and Juni announce they will co-lead a revived Spy Kids program, while Rebecca and Cecil recruit new agents, including the kids watching the movie, breaking the fourth wall.

Cast

Main Characters

• Rowan Blanchard as Rebecca Wilson, Wilbur's daughter. She has not accepted Marissa as a replacement for her mother, and delights in playing pranks on her.
• Mason Cook as Cecil Wilson, Wilbur's son who is hearing-impaired. He is more open-minded than Rebecca about Marissa being their new mother.
• Jessica Alba as Marissa Wilson (née Cortez), a spy, wife to Wilbur Wilson and stepmother to Rebecca and Cecil, as well as Carmen and Juni's aunt.
• Joel McHale as Wilbur Wilson, Marissa's spy-hunting reporter husband.

Supporting Characters

• Alexa Vega as Carmen Cortez, a top special agent for the OSS. She and her brother Juni were the main protagonists of the previous films.
• Daryl Sabara as Juni Cortez, a formerly-retired OSS agent. He and his sister Carmen were the main protagonists of the previous films.
• Elmo as Argonaut, Rebecca and Cecil's dog.
  • Ricky Gervais as the voice of Argonaut
• Belle and Genny Solorzano as Maria Wilson/Spy Baby, Marissa's daughter and Rebecca and Cecil's half-sister.
• Jeremy Piven as Danger D'Amo/The Timekeeper, Tick Tock and Danger's father.

Minor Characters

• Danny Trejo as Isador "Machete" Cortez

Production

Robert Rodriguez was prompted by an incident on the set of Machete to start envisioning a fourth film in the Spy Kids series. Star Jessica Alba had her then-one year old baby Honor Marie and was dressed to appear on camera when her baby's diaper "exploded". Watching Alba change the diaper while trying not to get anything on her clothes prompted Rodriguez to think "What about a spy mom?". Production on the film was officially announced on September 25, 2009, six years after the release of Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, by Dimension Films. The script for the film was completed by Robert Rodriguez in December 2009. Rodriguez said the film would be like "the Casino Royale to For Your Eyes Only. The other movies were the For Your Eyes Onlys". The title for the film was officially revealed as Spy Kids: All the Time in the World on March 24, 2010 as well as an August 2011 release window, which was later updated to an August 19, 2011 release date.

Filming began in the fall on October 27, 2010, and concluded in February 2011.

Release

Home Media

The Blu-Ray cover

The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and on DVD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy combo packs on November 22, 2011.

Reception

Critical response

The film received generally negative reviews upon release. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 22% based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 3.90/10, while audiences scored at 37% based on over 25,000 ratings, with an average rating of 2.8/5. The website consensus states "Burdened by a rote plot and unfunny scatological humor, All the Time in the World suggests that the Spy Kids franchise has run its course". On Metacritic it has a score of 37 out of 100 based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a B-plus on an A-plus to F scale. Common Sense Media gave the film 1 out of 5 stars. The website reads, "Positive messages can't save worst film in action series."

Box office

The film took in $4 million on its opening day and $11 million over the three-day weekend, debuting in third place behind The Help and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. That was on the low end of expectations, but an executive of The Weinstein Company said, "We're okay with this number. We're going to be in good shape with this film, and it will play for the rest of the summer". The following weekend, it dropped 48% to $6 million, and took sixth place, and on the following weekend, it earned an additional $6.8 million over the four-day Labor Day Weekend. As of November 2011, the film earned $38 million in the U.S and $47 million in other countries for a worldwide gross of $85 million.

Cancelled 2013 sequel and later plans

In 2011, Dimension Films announced a sequel to Spy Kids: All the Time in the World. It was under talks to have the original cast expected to return. The film was to begin production in 2012 and was scheduled to be released in 2013. Rodriguez planned for the movie to have "5D", saying in an IndieWire interview "I have an idea, but I can’t say what it is yet. I do have one ready in case." He then revealed what it is in another interview, describing 5D as utilizing a new technology in which paid attendants will reenact the sensations the characters feel in the film, saying "You’ll experience the cool breezes, the reassuring hugs, and what it’s like to be punched in the face, all for a mere $29.95".

However, the film was permanently delayed from its intended production, as the film's stars Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook, who are no longer kids, are both committing to current projects (Girl Meets World and Speechless respectively), and the planned sequel got canceled as a result.

On June 16, 2016, Netflix and the Weinstein Company announced an animated CGI reboot of the Spy Kids franchise titled Spy Kids: Mission Critical, which was released in 2018.

On January 26, 2021, it was announced that a reimagining of the film series titled Spy Kids: Armageddon, which was the original title for All the Time in the World, is in development, involving a plot that centers around a multicultural family. Rodriguez will once again serve as writer, director and producer, while the project will be a joint-venture production between Skydance Media and Spyglass Media Group. On March 30, 2022, it was revealed to have landed at Netflix, making it the second Spy Kids project produced for the platform after Mission Critical.