Spy Kids is one of those franchises that feels like a fever dream every time you think about it. We have giant thumbs as the henchmen in the first one, one of Steve Buscemi’s most famous quotes in the second one, and just a hot mess of meme material in the third one. And if you’re wondering why we’re not mentioning the fourth one, congrats on being one of three people who actually care about All the Time in the World!
Series creator Robert Rodriguez already got our nostalgia glands going when he made We Can Be Heroes for Netflix back in 2020, which turned out to be a legacy sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. So when he announced a Spy Kids reboot for the streaming service, people were intrigued, to say the least. Overall the trailers for Spy Kids: Armageddon tease similar cheesy action antics that we’ve come to expect from the franchise.
If you’re looking for a hit of nostalgia with the release of Armageddon, we don’t blame you. Thankfully, watching the Spy Kids franchise in order isn’t as hard of a task as you may think. Plus, many of the movies are readily available online for free without turning to…. less ideal measures. Get your gadgets ready, and let’s dive into the Spy Kids franchise.
1. Spy Kids
Alexa Pena-Vega may be better known for her Hallmark movies at this point, and Daryl Sabara for being, well, Megan Trainer’s husband, but the two launched into Hollywood fist-first as siblings Carmen and Juni Cortez, respectively, in 2001’s Spy Kids. Starring alongside Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alan Cumming, and Danny Trejo, the film focuses on the Cortez siblings discovering their parents’ past careers while saving them (and the world) in the process.
Spy Kids is the perfect action film for the whole family, and of course for your marathon you need to start with the first film. For those looking to stream it, you can find the film for free on YouTube and PlutoTV, though with ads. Those looking for an ad-free option can stream the film on Paramount+.
2. Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams
Spy Kids 2 promised bigger adventures and “slightly bigger spies” as their tagline, and the film definitely delivers. Exploring the mysterious island home to various hybrid creatures, Juni and Carmen need to not only clear Juni’s name but recover the “Transmooker” device protected by the spy agency.
You may not remember this movie that well, but you definitely remember the bizarre Steve Buschemi quote “Do you think God stays in heaven because he too, fears what he’s created?”, which yes, is from a kid’s movie. In case you want to relive more than just that bizarre quote, however, you can also check out Spy Kids 2 on Youtube and PlutoTV for free with ads, or Paramount+ for an ad-free option.
3. Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
In terms of fever dream movies, this probably tops the list. Juni, on a mission to save his sister, goes into a new virtual reality game to fight the Toymaker, a spy turned evil trying to brainwash children. However, since this movie was meant to be a cash grab for 3-D ticket sales, all the effects will most likely leave you with a headache.
If you’re up to the challenge, however, you can find Spy Kids 3-D on YouTube and PlutoTV for free with ads, or Paramount+ for an ad-free option.
4. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World
Robert Rodriguez originally had no plans to continue the franchise past Spy Kids 3-D. Yet somehow the idea of a spy mom came to be and that’s how we ended up with Jessica Alba playing Juni and Carmen’s aunt while turning her own step-kids into spies. Starring Alba as Marissa Wilson, the film introduces Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook as the new young spies. Of course, they get some help from Alexa Pena-Vega and Daryl Sabara reprising their roles.
Sadly, if you want to add the fourth film to your marathon you’re going to have to pony up. The film is only available for renting or purchasing, but you can find it on all the major film distribution sites (Amazon Prime, Vudu, YouTube, etc.)
5. Spy Kids: Armageddon
If you want to be technical about it, you could skip right to watching the latest film in the franchise since it claims to be a reboot independent of the original films. But we already know there’s going to be plenty of callbacks to the original movies, so where’s the fun in that? Spy Kids: Armageddon brings new faces to the franchise in the form of parents Nora Torrez (Gina Rodriguez) and Terrance Tango (Zachary Levi), and kids Tony (Connor Esterson) and Patty (Everly Carganilla) Tango-Torrez.
Before you scoff at the idea of the reboot, somehow Spy Kids: Armageddon is getting even better reviews than the two films prior to it, so it’s very much worth your time. Thankfully, this will probably be the easiest film out of the five to find. Spy Kids: Armageddon dropped on Netflix worldwide on Sept. 22.