The action starts off fast, as we find Agent Banks at camp.  To the outside world, Cody is having fun at Kamp Woody, but it is actually a training camp for kid secret agents.  When head counselor Diaz (Kevin Allen) stages an elaborate disappearing act, Agent Banks finds that he must go off to London to track him down.  The way the city is used as another character in the film is one of the best aspects of the movie.  From the London Eye to Piccadilly Circus to the double-decker busses and the wild moped chase through the streets of the city, the city is presented here in a beautiful light.  London gets the kind of treatment in this film that inspires tourism.

Upon his arrival in London, Cody meets up with his new handler, Derek (Anderson), the consummately urban agent who is more of a kid than Cody.  Derek is one example of many of how much this film relies on stereotypes.  Derek is the typical urban black man we have seen a million times, who dresses the part, and whose favorite “spy gadget” is the booming stereo system.  When he is masquerading as a chef at Cody’s prep school, one of the kids tells him how good the dish he has prepared is, he tells them that in America, “we say it is, ‘straight out of Compton,’” and we all get a laugh out of the stuffy British kids who say “straight out of Compton” to show how much they like the meal.  The kids this movie is aimed at might not catch on, but it is one of the more glaring aspects of the movie.

Stereotypes aside, the relationship between Cody and Derek is well portrayed.  Derek is a kid at heart, and Agent Banks is a kid so immersed in the world, in being a secret agent, that he has forgotten how to be a kid.  In the way Cody is so blinded by his profession, I was reminded of Grosse Pointe Blank, though this film is nowhere near as bleak in its view of the world.  Cody and Derek balance each other well, and their relationship is the warm core of the film.

The performances are well done throughout the film.  Hannah Spearlitt is fantastic as Cody’s English counterpart, and Kevin Allen brings the sinister Diaz to frightening life, the evil megalomaniac whose goal is to replace the London skyline with a giant statue of himself.  The actors all seem to be having a blast and are aiming to please.  They are the best thing about the movie.

“Agent Mode” Interactive Quiz: an interesting feature to test your knowledge of all things Cody.  As you watch the film, it pauses in points and asks questions about the story, the characters and other aspects of the film.

“Spy On the Set” Visual Cast Commentary: a clever, if not annoying feature, and similar to the interactive quiz.  In lieu of audio commentary, when this feature is selected, the film pauses in points, and Muniz, Anderson and Spearritt – alone or in unison – will walk into frame and talk about the scene.  This does not happen for every scene, and the trivial tidbits they give are rarely worth stopping the show for.

“Back In Action” Featurette: a promotional-style featurette, not unlike something you might find on HBO or Entertainment Tonight, it goes into how the sequel came to be, its relation to the original film, and how the characters have evolved.  They discuss the location, how the city of London became another character in the movie, and how they chose the locations.  We hear from the director, the producer, and the stars of the show.

Deleted Scenes: interesting for the curious, but it is clear that the decision was made early on not to include these scenes.  They are not finished.  The picture is grainy, the sound unrefined, the green screen has not been replaced.  Their exclusion does not cause the film to lose anything, but they are fun to watch.

Photo Gallery: promotional and behind-the-scenes photos from the production.

Original Theatrical Trailer: as trailers go, this one is pretty good.  If I had kids and I saw this, I would think about taking them to see the movie.