Agent Cody Banks (2003) User Reviews

Amusing film for teenagers with a starring interpreting a James Bond adolescent

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 24 July 2005]

The film talks a shy adolescent (Frankie Muniz) who's submitted to jokes from his school fellows but he's really a CIA undercover agent . He's assigned by his chief (Keith David) for one dangerous mission , he then meets a teen girl (Hillary Duff) whose father (Martin Donovan) is a scientific working in nanotechnology industries for the nasties (Ian McShane and Arnold Vosloo) . The teen is helped by an attractive agent (Angie Harmon).

The plot is a little bit ridiculous , but we're in a spoof comedy and it is narrated in fast movement ; besides , abound the surprises , being very funny and bemusing . In the film there is suspense , comedy , emotion , action-packed , tongue-in-cheek and chases galore with impressive velocity pursuits . The screenplay is nicely developed as well as characters and the frenetic action united to excellent special effects that are varied of these too . From the beginning until the end the amusement and entertainment is continued . The humor moments are in charge of Frankie Muniz with his abundant botches and goofs that happen when he must confront perils and risks against the villains . It's a spoof of James Bond's films , even there's a flying artifact like in ¨Thunderball¨ , plus a role type ¨Q¨ , a weapons deliverer , who teaches the various gadgets which Cody Banks will subsequently use . Exciting final facing off between the protagonists and the baddies on the mountain headquarter is breathtaking and special mention to the habitual villain Arnold Vosloo (The mummy) , he is terrific. Colorful cinematography by Denis Crossan ; the exterior of the CIA headquarters was shot on location in the Academic Quadrangle at Simon Fraser University near Vancouver , this location is popular for films shot in this city . Atmospheric and lively musical score by John Powell . The motion picture was professionally directed by Harald Zwart (One Night at McCool's , Commando Hamilton , Pink Panther 2). Rating: Enjoyable and nice.

Cody Saves The World And Gets Grounded

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 10 April 2009]

Taking advantage of a couple of hot teen television properties at the time, MGM fashioned this fantasy for kids about a typical teenage boy with one big secret. Agent Cody Banks is a CIA operative, part of a special program that trains kids for special missions. And in the title role Frankie Muniz gets to do them, providing he's not grounded.

The other hot property at the time was Hilary Duff who was in Disney's Lizzie McGuire series while Muniz was doing Malcolm In The Middle. She's Frankie's assignment, Duff is the daughter of a scientist who's gone missing and Frankie has to both protect her and find out what's going on.

It's something big all right, scientist Martin Donovan has invented some kind of artificial life that will eat anything carbon or silicon based. That could wreak a lot of havoc in the wrong hands.

Donovan is Duff's father, as for Muniz's parents they are unbelievably clueless, but that's part of the charm of these films. One who's not clueless is Muniz's immediate superior and handler Angie Harmon. She's got a great scene in the prep school where Muniz has been put to be close to Duff with some of the adolescent males there.

Agent Cody Banks with the star power of two current teen idols made a lot of money, so much so a sequel was made. Now if they had really wanted to do something different, they'd have made Duff the secret agent with Muniz her assignment.

Silly, But Entertains

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 27 May 2005]

Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz) is a shy common teenager, living with his mother, father and little brother in a suburban house. But he is also a very efficient undercover CIA agent. He is assigned by CIA director (Keith David), with the support of his instructor Ronica Miles (Angie Harmon), to date Natalie Connors (Hilary Duff) in order to be invited to her birthday party and get close and spy Natalie's father, Dr. Connors (Martin Donovan). Dr. Connors is a brilliant scientist, who has developed some sort of micro-robots with the intention of controlling oil leakage from tankers. However, the investors of the experiment intend to use the device as a powerful weapon. "Agent Cody Banks" tries to follow the success of "Spy Kids", it is very silly, but entertains. There is nothing special or original in this popcorn movie, indicated for an afternoon without any other alternative. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Agente Teen" ("The Teen Agent")

just a kids movie

[gonzogm999 · 4/10 · 27 September 2003]

This is an okay kids' movie; but as college students who often enjoy kids' movies we did not enjoy it. The most irritating thing about this movie for me is that near the beginning of the movie he was 16 and getting his driver's license, and later in the movie he was 15. The entire movie was full of inconsistencies and overall annoying if you cannot stop thinking while watching a movie. We liked Hilary Duff's role, and the plot line on the romance was cute. Frankie and Hilary's chemistry was the best part of the movie.

I know it is suppose to be funny and cute, but it isn't

[udeaasykle · 3/10 · 21 May 2004]

I pretty much knew what i was in for when i started seeing this movie. It is suppose to be funny and cute, but it isn't. It is cheesy and stinks of bad dialog and the world's most crappy plot. Yeah i know the movie is probably more suitable for kids but this i just my opinion. The fight scenes with "cody" sucks and let me tell you why. It is soooo obvious that they used a stunt double who is about a foot higher and wider and an adult to be honest. The second thing i noticed is when he is fighting in Natalie's "birthday" party where there is, by the way, blackjack and dice games. Way to parent your 15 year old daughter. I wish i could go to a "we will frisk you before you can come in" party when i was 15. After the fight, Francois Molay, the henchman manage to say something like: That guy is an agent cause he had to learn those moves in the CIA. Yeah, cause no one but the CIA fights with kicks and punches.... If you are about 12-18 you will probably like this movie but i don't. I rate this movie 3/10

Bore Galore

[Saturns_Illusionist · 1/10 · 1 January 2004]

Harald Zwart (who wrote and directed the great Norwegian short film "Parents") directed this shot, that could be seen as a curious mixture between Robert Rodriguez's "Spy Kids", Ian Fleming's "James Bond series" and those Saturday morning cartoons, however real action buffs should be warned: there´s nearly no action and nearly no suspense in this flick, even the above-mentioned films are more exciting than "Agent Cody Banks"! The synthesizer-score sounds like as if it was stolen from Fleming´s movies or Rodriguez's series and the only notable thing is the appearance of "Baywatch babe"-legend Angie Harmon - unfortunately, she doesn´t save the film at all! Yawn...

Of course it is silly but it is entertaining and fun as well

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 4 January 2010]

This was a decent film, not as innovative as Spy Kids but an improvement over Stormbreaker. Of course it is very silly, and has a predictable plot and an uneven script. But due to the spirited performances from the entire cast, it is great fun. Frankie Muniz gives a sense of charm and cheekiness to his role, and while having less to do, Hilary Duff gives one of her better performances here. Angie Harmon also is fabulously sexy as Agent Miles, revealing outfit and all, and Ian Mcshane is great as Brinkman. While there are discrepancies in the script sometimes, there are inspired moments of physical comedy that delivers the laughs. Also the film goes along at a fast pace, and there are wonderful stunts and action sequences. Predictable, but great fun. 7/10 Bethany Cox

dear god

[ovega_artist1010 · 3/10 · 28 April 2003]

I don't normally review films. But maybe its the beautiful weather or something cause this is the third film I've reviewed today. And Good heavens was this silly.

Ok ok.. I know this movie is for kids. I was aware of that when I bought my girlfriend and I tickets to see it. She wanted to go, and despite my fears of throwing money out the window so to speak, I agreed. And, with no suprise, I didn't enjoy myself.

This film is for the young and perhaps the young at heart. I guess the one possitive thing about this film I can say is that I infact learned alot about myself after leaving the theater..

Fun movie...

[Lost_cow · 7/10 · 14 March 2003]

What can I say... It was a fun movie!

Went to see it with my 9 year old and we both enjoyed it a lot. Kind of a bond for younger audiences. Far fetched? Sure... but then so is 007 no?

I especially liked the little humorous details here and there... like the page "Would the driver of a silver Austin Martin please report to..." inside the CIA building (James Bond's car), or Cody's cell phone that rings like Austin Powers video-phone. Pay attention when watching it as the movie is filled with little details and one liners referring to other spy movies.

Was it worth the price of admission? Sure!

Not as bad as you might suspect!

[kraley · 13 March 2003]

Normally I dislike (and somewhat resent) unoriginal movies that are simply an exercise in age regression of an established franchise to target a younger consumer audience (Young Indiana Jones, Young Sherlock Holmes, Muppet Babies, et al) . This practice ruined Saturday morning for me even moreso than mandatory comic-relief characters (Scrappy Doo anyone?). To be honest I went in expecting VERY little from Agent Cody Banks which was obviously a spy genre movie targeted at consumers too old for Spy Kids and too young to get into Bond films.

The story concerns a stand-out from an experimental new government recruiting facility that takes high school kids to a 'summer camp' which is actually a high-tech training operation for young CIA operatives. Cody Banks is one of the 'graduates' of this program who is currently simply getting by in his regular routine until his country calls him up to active duty.

It seems a nerdy scientist has developed nanobots capable of eating their way through just about anything at the atomic level (originally designed to clean up oil spills in offshore disasters). Needless to say, the funding for the project is supplied by a shadowy character with plans for world domination and, of course, he has a menacing henchman (Francois - rather ironic considering the US relations with France at the moment) who does the physical dirty work on the mastermind's behalf. When the villains seek to kidnap the daughter (Duff) of the nerdy scientist to gain control over the nanobots, Cody Banks (Muniz) is called into active service and given an array of spy gear that would make Bond envious. The side 'gimmick' is that Cody is shy and cannot talk to girls which makes him 'endearing' juxtaposed to Bond's womanizing talents. In all other respects Cody is a 5' tall 15 year old James Bond.

Sounds like a Bond film? It is. Only better than the last three Bond outings (believe it or not). I am actually fairly certain the sets and props used at the end of the film are recycled from early Bond films (most notably the sub bay and mag-lev train from Moonraker and/or Man With the Golden Gun- I cannot remember which film for sure, but you'll recognize it when you see it). The plot, while COMPLETELY unoriginal, is consistent and engaging enough to hold the attention (especially if you are too young to have seen the Bond/spy movies it borrows from). The gadgets are fairly interesting and, again, while derivative of earlier franchises, are fun to see in the hands of a teenager.

The acting is fairly credible (such as it is) with a few exaggerated (and over-acted) spy film stereotypes. There's no profanity, no nudity, no drugs (though what COULD be alcohol if you wanted to see it as such), plenty of action and the requisite action-film violence (and one fairly gruesome death at the end).

This movie is targeted squarely at the 'puberty set' but is still enjoyable by all ages. My 5 year old son really enjoyed it and nothing in the film was more objectionable than what he watches on broadcast TV (perhaps less so to be honest).

I recommend this film to anyone that likes spy films and anyone looking for a 'safe' film the entire family can enjoy.

No, it is as bad as you may think

[Agent10 · 4/10 · 27 March 2003]

Kiddie spy flicks have become something of a new trend, resulting in the first spin-off since Spy Kids other than the original franchise. To say the least, this film falls way short of that expectation. Yes, the film had cool gadgets, and some decent sequences, it just seemed to lack where Spy Kids excelled. There wasn't that innocent charm or the silliness, for it seemed to be replaced by sexual innuendos and teenage hormones. Unfortunately, this series will most likely get more sequels, which means they have at least another chance to make up for their mistakes.

James Bond As A Teenager

[Spooky2001 · 9/10 · 20 March 2003]

If you like James Bond you will like this movie. This movie is as I said like James Bond but as a teenager. This movie has the right dose of action and humor. It has good actors and if you noticed, the bad guys henchmen is placed by "The Mummy aka Imotep" from The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. I think it is a good family James Bond movie. This movie was very good.

Muniz and Duff Look Great in this One

[mail-1208 · 6/10 · 30 June 2006]

Blatant rip-off of Bond movies for the teen set. It's been done so many times that it doesn't seem to matter anymore.

I really liked it, but then I was going into it knowing what it was and just had fun. I didn't detect any pretension that the film-makers thought it was anything more than it was: a thoroughly enjoyable piece of fluff with a couple of very attractive stars. I was surprised on one or two occasions when Muniz appeared to be doing some stunts that didn't involve wire work to see that this boy has action man potential.

This is the kind of movie that will have the young set whooping with delight. That hottie Angie Harmon also provides interest for older male viewers.

What was it called again?

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 3/10 · 3 July 2004]

If you want a brainless 90 minutes in which you simply do not want to think then this is the kind of movie you might want to rent.

Frankie Munitz, mooching off what fame he has left before he becomes a 'former child star' is the Junior James Bond, a kid in the CIA. Yes, it's stupid but it makes things happen for a while. Hilary Duff is his would-be girlfriend as he freezes up when he talks to girls (stop it, you're killing me). Her dad is some scientist working for a madman (played by some overtanned Brit) and he has to infiltrate blah blah blah...

Yes it is bad, but it could be worse, it could be the sequel. A film so bad and so quickly hashed out that they forgot they already set up Arnold Vosloo as a returning baddie.

American junk

[smiler_1973 · 3/10 · 8 August 2003]

A definite no no ....terrible attempt at an american james bond junior. follows the usual format but just fails to entertain. could possibly keep young kids busy for a while but they may get lost as the film tries to appeal to too many age group,,,such a shame for the star of Malcolm in the middle

Wow this was bad.

[ville_koistinen · 2/10 · 15 March 2005]

I didn't expect a lot of this movie but it didn't even accomplish that. This was a weak James Bond rip-off and even worse than the newest Bond movies.

So this movie is about a teenage agent Cody Banks and his mission is to save the world and get the girl. How original.

Acting was bad, especially Hilary Duff. Yes, she is cute and all but she just can't act. And now she's into singing? Didn't she do that bad cover off The Whos My Generation? Another plastic blonde.

This movie was full of clichés and the ending was so predictable. Can't even give any points for the special effects. Only point has to be given to Angie Harmons outfits.

Rated K.O. - kids only (or knock out from boredom)

[Shevy1103 · 4/10 · 20 March 2013]

I realize this is a movie for kids, but it was the only decent thing on TV so I watched it. It was OK I guess, nothing more, nothing less. I don't remember much of it though.

The acting by both Frankie Muniz and Hilary Duff was pretty good. The concept of the movie, or the plot if you will, was more than a bit unrealistic. Other than that the plot was good. I had a few laughs, there were some good action scenes, and some very good ones as well.

As I said the acting was pretty good. Arnold Vosloo did a great job in the role of Molay, the bad guy. I think Mr. Vosloo might be born to play bad guys. I mean you see him in «The Mummy», «Chuck», «Blood Diamond». He is a natural! Anyhow, It is probably good enough for young teens, but I don't think it will be a big hit with other people. It gets 4 mediocre stars out of a possible 10 from me. See you later, alligator.

• Shevy

006½

[=G= · 7/10 · 8 August 2003]

"Agent Cody Banks" sticks Banks (Muniz), a 16 year old high school student and CIA junior agent, in the middle of a 007 plot clone with a nemesis who's out to extort nanobot technology from a good-guy scientist to control the world. Banks' mission is to get close to the scientist's hottie daughter (Duff) so he can...um, save the world. This kid flick has the same kind of high tech stuff, great sets, and production value we come to expect with 007 or MI flicks including martial arts, X-boarding, etc. all built around a teen puppy love story centerpiece. A fun action guy flick for kids which gets moving quick and never slows down. (B)

007 Teen Version

[stormhawk2021 · 4/10 · 14 May 2017]

13 years ago when this came out, I loved this movie like nobody else on the planet, I had my dad take me to it at least 4 times in the theater and now I can really see all of the problems this film has. Nothing here really stands out and the script is weak in my opinion. All the jokes fail to make you laugh, the characters are one dimensional, the acting is bland and not very good, and most of the action disappoints. When Cody Banks would look like he is doing a stunt, it is clearly obvious that there were stunt doubles doing all the work because the camera at times would just film his legs and they could have done a better job at making it look like Frankie Muniz was doing the skateboarding and snowboarding. The cgi and green screen whenever it showed was weak and wasn't convincing at all. Frankie Muniz was only okay in my opinion, but he didn't contribute much of anything. Hilary Duff came off as a bland actress and she wasn't believable at all, she was only put on here because of her Lizzie McGuire show and for her looks and not for her nonexistent acting abilities. Connor Widdows as Cody's brother Alex was annoying and I hated every moment he was on screen. Ian McShane played a very weak villain and all he does is walk around and talk about his evil plan. Flaws aside, the only things I liked about this easily forgettable movie were that I thought that the fight scenes were mildly entertaining and were decently choreographed and I thought the plot involving the nanobots was believable and interesting.

Good kids movie!

[opticuscro · 7/10 · 21 March 2022]

First and foremost this is a movie for children, and as such needs to be reviewed. Adults will find a hundred flaws, as I found myself. But for children this is a very good adventure action movie with a touch of comedy, mi kids are simply thrilled with this movie. I repeat this is a children's movie and as such I recommend it for some kind of family film marathon event!

The worst movie I've ever seen.

[mbunky · 2/10 · 5 July 2005]

This movie was on TV once at my friends house and after we watched it we had to watch two other movies to rinse its foulness from our eyes. Stay away from this movie. The plot is incredibly superficial (save the world, get the girl), the characters are shallow and the acting isn't that good. The movie is about a normal teenager named Cody Banks who is a secret agent in his spare time. So the secret agents who are hiring him give him some cool gadgets and he goes and does stuff with them and by then you are lost. Of course, during all this he manages to fall in love with the Hilary Duff character who then gets kidnapped by the bad guys and he has to go save her. The movie could have been a lot better if either Frankie Muniz or Hilary Duff could do more than 3 facial expressions. This movie should only be rented with a precautionary other 2 movies, to rinse out the after taste. Nothing in it is original, or even remotely cute or funny. Stay away.

Great teen spy film

[stevenfincher · 9/10 · 9 June 2020]

I am not sure why the reviews are bad for Cody Banks It was a great fun film, lots of action and a little bit of Back to the Future stolen but overall a great film.

Creepy? We're the CIA, creepy is what we do.

[film-critic · 7/10 · 30 March 2005]

This was a very stylish and respectful homage to the great Bond films. Over the years, I have seen Hollywood disrespect this genre with horrible adaptations and overwhelming clichés that almost give the Bond films a bad name. It always seems like if someone wants to make a spy film, you have to pay homage to the God of spy films, James Bond, and whether you give a good sacrifice or a bad one is how the audiences will react to the finished cinematic project. Luckily, Agent Cody Banks gives a great sacrifice to the films and takes off running on its own two feet without ever disrespecting the genre. Muniz is exceptional as the suave spy that has trouble with the ladies, and a strong secondary cast (that involves Hilary Duff, Angie Harmon, Keith David, and Ian McShane) only helps build the amazingly lighthearted feel to this film. I was shocked how much I enjoyed watching this. From the little jokes, to the copious amounts of action and violence, this film is one of those rare finds that works well for children, but also gives the adult at least an hour of entertainment.

I think what makes this a memorable film is the simplistic, yet very stylistic story that doesn't try to outdo itself. I think that is where this movie succeeds. In some spy films, the filmmakers are more centralized on the big explosions or the complexity of the bad guys plan, instead of trying to build a story from the ground up. That is where Agent Cody Banks excels. It gives us the heroine right up front as well as what he must do. There is no wish washing around the truth, just a straightforward story that keeps your attention by giving us this portrait of an every-man instead of some super-sleuth. The fact that Muniz cannot talk to women only grounds him and makes him more realistic and enjoyable. I never found myself thinking about where this guy came from, how he spent his money, and what were his hidden dark secrets because … he was a kid. It was simply explained. I completely demise those films that try to build more upon a character than what is needed. This has the unfortunate side effect of ruining a story, but thankfully director Harald Zwart chose to stay on a very straight path. With his focused direction and skillful editing, he creates a beautiful homage to the great Bond films that heartily deserved a sequel.

Overall, I was impressed. I didn't think I was going to be and basically had written this film off until I actually watched it. This is one of those multi-pleasure films where children, and adults, of all ages will grab ahold of something and enjoy it. Me, it was the CIA director that continually made me laugh as well as Darrell Hammond's portrayal of Earl, the CIA scientist that equips Cody Banks with all the cool Bond gadgets. His role was sheer dynamite and he did exceptionally well with it. It is these types of surprises that allowed this film to keep its head above water. Now, this film is no feat of brilliance, but it does provide a good hour and a half of entertainment that I was not expecting. Check this film out if you are interested is trying something new and fresh. If you are not a fan of the series, Malcolm in the Middle, do not worry, Muniz plays away from his television character and defines himself as a pretty decent actor. I recommend it!

Grade: **** out of *****

Dreadful

[genkischuldich · 1/10 · 21 September 2003]

This is one of the worst films I've ever seen. Not the good kind of 'bad' which you'd expect to see on MST3K, but BAD.

(Slight spoiler follows) Why exactly should Hilary Duff (who plays the female agent that assists Cody) have to 'playfully' shield her breasts from a boy that's (meant to be) barely a teenager? These days, it's not even acceptable when James Bond does it! It made me feel sick. All in all, that was the main thing that got to me. Throughout the film, adult women are sexualised for the juvenile fantasies of thirteen year-old boys.

Incidentally, I don't hate films aimed at children. I saw 'Finding Nemo' shortly after seeing this and thoroughly enjoyed it. I recommend you see that instead.

Not Very Interesting

[bix171 · 5/10 · 15 March 2003]

MGM delivers its entry into the `Spy Kids' sweepstakes but the studio's own James Bond series is the real influence in Harald Zwart's adolescent spy picture, crammed as it is with explosive destructions of secret lairs, ski chases and cool gadgets. Yet, like the later Bond films, what it doesn't have is a whole lot of heart or care put into it--which is precisely where it differs from the warmth and originality of the family-focused `Spy Kids' series. Everything seems slapdash and rushed, designed to do little more than cash in. Frankie Muniz (of television's `Malcolm In The Middle') is the title character, a teenage CIA operative mentored by sexy ball buster Angie Harmon and assigned to develop a relationship with the daughter of a scientist (Hilary Duff, the Disney Channel's `Lizzy McGuire') being held by the bad guys. There's really nothing much to offend or involve anyone (which is odd because two of the writers, the team of Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, are responsible for some smart, funny screenplays, including `Ed Wood' and `The People Vs. Larry Flynt') and there are virtually no good laughs--it barely seems to want to take advantage of even the single obvious running joke, namely teenage ogling of the voluptuous Harmon. Muniz and Duff are likable enough and Keith David, as Muniz' and Harmon's boss, provides hammy support but they're hardly reasons to plunk down nine bucks at the megaplex.