Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D

Original spy kids Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara) having grown up, the title roles devolve onto Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook as the stepchildren of their aunt (Jessica Alba), a former spy brought out of retirement to catch a villain who is using the “Armageddon Device” to speed up time. The “4D” refers to Aroma-Scope, a card with eight scratch-and-sniff patches that we’re supposed to use when the appropriate number flashes on screen. (Spoiler alert: They all smell like cardboard.) That gimmick is a misfire, but the other three D’s work pretty well, and the movie is the best in writer-director Robert Rodriguez’s franchise since the very first (Spy Kids 2 and 3 being better forgotten). It’s like a shiny, complicated toy that’s silly and doesn’t really do anything, but is fun to play with.