'Spy Kids': Movie with a Floop that's no flop

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There's a new catch phrase parents are likely to begin hearing soon. Don't be alarmed, it won't mean your kids are part of some bizarre fungus-worshiping cult. OK, here it is: Holy shii-take-mushrooms.

Not so bad, now is it? Instead, worry about the inevitable demands for a Buddy Pack jet flier thing, something called a Super Guppy and, of course, the electromagnetic gumball, which can't be purchased at Safeway.

All these things come from "Spy Kids," the new movie by Robert Rodriguez, a specialist in gunfights, vampires and frightening, quasi-abusive parents. But don't judge his family credentials by the fact his last movie was about an alien race of high-school teachers bent on killing, uh, children.

Rodriguez has been reformed (he's a papa now). In fact, the director of "El Mariachi" has just made one of the best kids movies in years. "Spy Kids" is funny, exciting, brilliantly directed and, heaven forbid, educational. And in a radical move for a kids movie, it limits toilet humor to two innocent jokes. Now with "Spy Kids" out, any parent who chooses to take their child to the dreadful "See Spot Run" should be incarcerated.

"Spy Kids" * * * ½ With Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara. Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. 88 minutes. Rated PG for action sequences. Several theaters. For more information, visit www.spykids.com.

The movie begins at the home of Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez, two secret agents who were supposed to kill each other, but fell in love. Now married, the couple (played by Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) are semi-retired, living with their two children, Carmen and Juni. When seven fellow agents disappear, Gregorio and Ingrid try to find them, only to be captured themselves. Now, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara) must become spies to save their parents.

From the beginning, Rodriguez shows us this won't be an ordinary film. The story of how the Cortezes met crackles with inventiveness, with quick cuts between the two rival spies that show Banderas at his slickest and Gugino as a stunning adversary. The scene feels like a parody of other spy movies, ending with their wedding, a helicopter attack and two heart-shaped parachutes carrying the couple to safety.

This first part seems aimed at the adults dragged into the theater by their children, with its sharp dialogue and "El Mariachi"-style music. Still, "Spy Kids" is for kids, preferably preteen. Rodriguez packs his film with awe and wonder, in particular the castle of Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming), the star of the second-rated kids show in the land. Perched on top of a huge ocean rock, the castle is filled with oddities - a virtual room that mimics oceans, clouds and storms, and Floop's legions of Fooglies, the mutated co-stars of his show.

Floop is the one who captured all the secret agents, including Ma and Pa Cortez. As we learn early in the movie, he is building an army of robot children. Flying out to stop him, Carmen and Juni learn to be self-reliant, turning their fears into weapons.

To the average adolescent, this movie may come off as a little corny and predictable. But don't listen to them. No one will be fooled by the ending, but so what?

Word is a sequel is already in production. If Rodriguez can duplicate the fun he created with this one, why not a whole "Spy Kids" franchise. How's this for a title? "Spy Kids 2: The Wrath of Floop." Got a ring to it, doesn't it?