I just watched "My Spy: The Eternal City," and man, what a disappointment. You remember how the first "My Spy" film was such a blast, at least during the pandemic? It gave us all a good laugh. Now, with this sequel, well, it desperately tries to be everything all at once.
I think one of the bigger problems is that it can't sort out who it's for. Veering inches away from family-friendly laughs one minute, they turn into gags, literally leaving adults blushing. As a parent, I wouldn't wish to explain some of these gags to my kids. The violence feels very ramped up, pointless for what should be a lighthearted spy romp.
One of the few bright spots is that Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman still have good chemistry. It's really sweet how their father-daughter dynamic plays out. However, even that becomes lost in this plot about nuclear threats and Vatican bombings. It seems as if they took a simple idea and needlessly complicated it.
Knowing Anna Faris and Craig Robinson were on board, I was stoked, but I think they're kind of underutilized here. I mean, these are funny fucking people, why not let them be funny? Instead, the thing jumps from slapstick to doom so fast that it gave me whiplash.
It could have made for a really nice setting for some clever spy antics, instead, I think it mostly serves as pretty scenery between confusing action sequences. I mean, one minute a kid's running from a gunman in a sunflower field, and the next he's having a romantic moment with his girlfriend? It just doesn't flow.
I get the feeling that they really want to age up the content, what with the characters being older and all, but I think they overshot it. The original was such a nice balance that spoke to kids and adults alike. To me, this one feels like it's actually pushing away both groups.
In my opinion, a sequel has to build off the real foundations that made the original work, not something that cleans out the window. It seems that "The Eternal City" has forgotten what made "My Spy" work in the first place; it's trying to be more imposingly huge and bold, but sometimes less is more.
Movies that delight the whole family are just the best, but this one barely missed that mark. I would say it ranks pretty below par if you're looking to sit down and watch some spy comedy with your kids. But hey, it's just my opinions 😉, you may have a different opinion, so give it a shot anyways and let me know if I'm being too dramatic here.