Spies in Disguise Movie Review: Will Smith, Tom Holland’s Delightful Vocal Performances Make This Spy Comedy a Fun Watch

Spies in Disguise Movie Review: As a child, Walter Beckett (Tom Holland) loves to make indigenous devices with unusual, non-lethal ways to take down criminals. As an adult, he is employed as a scientist in top US intelligence agency and he continues to create more such inventions. However, his non-lethal weapons are derided by his colleagues, including Lance Sterling (Will Smith). Lance is a suave top spy who loves to 'fly solo' when it comes to his missions. While intercepting a Japanese mob den, he comes across a dangerous nemesis Killian (Ben Mendelsohn) who has a robotic hand. Spies In Disguise Trailer: Will Smith and Tom Holland 'Get Weird' As New Track 'Then There Were Two' Is Introduced (Watch Video).

Killian not only manages to screw up Lance's mission, but he also gets him framed for the murder of a fellow spy. On the run, Lance seeks out Walter's help, who he had fired earlier. At his home, Lance accidentally swallows one of Walter's inventions, that turns him into a pigeon. Now in his new form, Lance has to figure out how to stop Killian from causing more harm, while coaxing an over-enthusiastic Walter to make him back into a human.

When you have two likeable actors in Will Smith and Tom Holland voicing the leads, there is bound to be some charming fun. Especially with Will Smith, whose Lance Sterling seems to be a hint as to how uber-cool James Bond would have been if the makers had ever thought of casting him as 007. But then Spies in Disguise isn't really a tribute to those spy films; it actually pokes fun at those movies even if the attempt feels half-hearted at times.

There are quite a few fun moments in Spies in Disguise, especially when Lance figuring out what to do with his pigeon self. Lovey, Walter's pigeon, also steals the show a couple of times. There are occasions when the scripts show sparks of wit. Like, the first time we hear Lance before we see him, he sounds like a bird. Also, his obsession with flying solo comes a hindrance in his pigeon avatar when Lance does have trouble spreading his wings, and has to depend on other pigeons to do so.

The movie's message of not playing fire with fire, but instead choosing to douse the other fire, has its merits. Also, with a runtime of about 102 minutes, Spies in Disguise doesn't overstay its welcome. There are also some pretty cool musical choices that add to the funk of the film

That said, Spies in Disguise could have gone for a narrative that isn't predictable or tried-n-tested. There are moments in the middle portions where you really feel the lag, and the antagonist, despite syncing with the movie's message, lacks a layered dimension.

Watch the Trailer of Spies in Disguise:

All said and done, Spies in Disguise is still a fun watch, especially if you are huge fans of the lead actors.

Yay!

- The Humour

- Will Smith and Tom Holland's Vocal Performances

- Some Musical Choices

- Animation is Good

Nay!

- The Plot is Pretty Predictable

- Comes Across a Bit Too Dark for the Kids

- The Villain is Pretty Unmemorable

- The Middle Portions Lag

Final Thoughts

Thanks to the charming vocal performances of Tom Holland and especially, Will Smith, Spies in Disguise comes across as a fun watch.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 25, 2019 10:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).