Review of I Spy

Introduction

Another year, another television series remade or "reimagined". The similarities between this new version of I Spy and the television series are in name only, film name and character names, period. Owen Wilson will now play Bill Cosby while Eddie Murphy will manhandle Robert Culp. Their mission is to recover a secret stealth plane before a bad guy called Gundars (Malcolm McDowell) sells it on. If the recovery of the world`s most sophisticated military product is in the hands of this newbie agent and a loud-mouthed boxer, then God help us all.

Video

I Spy has a 1.85:1 widescreen enhanced transfer and as you would expect from a recent film, it looks very good. If you look closer though you`ll see some grain but it`s not distracting. Colours and detail are well reproduced and well balanced with good solid blacks. There are hardly any faults with the transfer and I didn`t spot any smearing either.

Audio

The English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is very well done. It sounds aggressive with the placement of surround sound from all corners. The explosions are over-the-top but it`s just what an action film needs. Dialogue is well reproduced from the centre channel too. Impressive stuff. You can choose from English, Russian or Hungarian Dolby Digital 5.1 or a Czech Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.

Features

I Spy features that growing trend in animated menus that reveal and spoil the film before you`ve even begun hitting `play`. What`s the thinking behind putting these spoilers in the menus? I can`t be the only one with this gripe.

• Filmmakers` Commentary - Director Betty Thomas, an editor, two writers and a producer. While the film is uninteresting, the audio commentary is better but that`s not hard to achieve in this case. You`ll hear how certain effects were made, ideas on the stories and some general chitchat, but nothing really engaging. The film is still dull and I don`t really care enough to listen to the entire commentary.

• Featurettes: Cloak and camouflage (4:25); Gadgets and gizmos (4:35); Schematics and blueprints (5:02); The Slugafest (4:10) - No `play all` function makes this a tiring set of featurettes to get through. What`s here is the average PR stuff; nothing insightful or interesting.

• Trailers - One for I Spy and four for other Columbia/Tristar films. All widescreen enhanced. Once you`ve seen the trailer for the film, there`s really no point in watching the film.

There are no German, French, Spanish or Italian subtitles, but most of Europe is catered for.

Conclusion

I like spy films; it`s usually just one boy`s big adventure, with girls, right? Comedy action buddy spy films sound like fun too, especially if the comedy is sharp, timing is spot on, and you get the right pairing of actors in the lead parts. Oh, and the film should have some semblance of actual storytelling. I Spy has none of these ingredients.

Despite having good quality video and audio, the film lacks quality in other areas. It`s supposed to be a comedy action film, which is sorely lacking in the comedy stakes but does deliver some action. The visual gags, that I presumed were there for laughs, elicited nothing but a look of exasperation. I`ve read various reviews where people have genuinely enjoyed this film, but I honestly can`t see why. The story is tiring and doesn`t hold any interest. The idea that a super stealth jet has been stolen is one thing, but to send bumbling white guy Owen Wilson with black boxer Eddie Murphy is a recipe for trite clichés. Their performances do not lift the film out of mediocre territory. How many times can I use the word, "dull", in a review I wonder?

Witness Eddie Murphy, the egocentric smoothie, talking Owen Wilson through chatting up Famke Janssen. How about the bonding session between Wilson and Murphy while they`re trapped in a sewer sharing tender moments? It`s one of those breaking down the macho stereotypes as Eddie Murphy is close to tears talking of his tough upbringing. It doesn`t make for good comedy and I`m desperately trying to find something to like. The action scenes are forgettable too.

I smiled once when we looked at the spy gadgets Owen Wilson had to carry, but that was it. The rest of the film is painful to watch. It has bland dialogue and irritating casting in the shape of Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson. I can live quite happily with Famke Janssen though. Owen Wilson is his deadpan self and he delivers a few good lines, while the less said about Eddie Murphy`s irritating character, the better. Playing Donkey in Shrek remains one of Murphy`s highpoints. I`m not alone in this assessment of I Spy and it`s interesting to note that the film only made about $30m at the box-office, which is almost half the film`s budget.

So the question remains, "Why the 3/10 rating?" I gave 1 point for Famke Janssen smacking Owen Wilson, 1 for Owen punching Eddie and 1 for Eddie punching Owen. If you`re a Murphy or Owen fan you may well be curious enough to rent I Spy, but don`t say I didn`t warn you beforehand. For everyone else, steer clear of this action spy turkey.