My Spy: The Eternal City – Bigger But Not Better (Early Review)

My Spy: The Eternal City is a sequel to the surprise 2020 action comedy My Spy. Set a few years after the events of first film, the sequel sees veteran CIA operative JJ (Bautista) and his 14 year old stepdaughter/protégé Sophie (Coleman) reunite to save the world after Sophie’s high school choir tour of Italy is interrupted by a nefarious nuclear plot targeting the Vatican. While the original film wasn’t a new classic by any means, it was still a pleasant surprise that proved Bautista could do both comedy and family fare. Though The Eternal City may be s a step down, it is a more than serviceable sequel that families, and fans of the first, will likely enjoy.

Speaking of Bautista, he is once again the reason to watch this, delivering on the action and comedic side of things, while Coleman continues to be one of the most talented young actors working. A little older this time around, their dynamic between JJ and Sophie has evolved but they are just as fun and to watch, as they retain their strong chemistry from the first film. Ken Jeong is given a larger role, returning as David Kim, and is clearly having a lot of fun playing off Bautista. Meanwhile, Schaal, returning as Bobbi, also gets a handful of funny moments, although not nearly to the same degree as before. Flula Borg, in a surprisingly mostly non-comedic role, is almost unrecognizable as one of the central villains. As Crane, he creates an intimidating presence while posing a credible threat. Boasting a handful of funny moments, the film succeeds at being fairly entertaining in the moment and like its predecessor, it has plenty of heart.

Unfortunately, bigger doesn’t always mean better and that’s exactly the case with My Spy: The Eternal City. The first half of the film is honestly pretty fun and feels like a proper sequel with low stakes, a breezy tone, and some entertaining situations that the characters inevitably got themselves into. However, once the plot truly kicks in, the second half takes itself far too seriously as it essentially shifts towards a full on action thriller, a direction that squanders most of the fun from that first half as it becomes an entirely different film. Audiences will really start to feel its length, clocking in at nearly 2-hours, come the second half, with every scene feeling like it goes on longer than it probably needs to.

While the action sequences are fine, they don’t quite measure up to most studio action releases in recent memory, as most audiences will are sure to find themselves simply wanting it to find some way to get back to the tone it had before. The film also makes a baffling mistake of misusing and underutilizing Anna Faris in an incredibly predictable and boring role, as Nancy. Casting Faris in a comedy sequel and have her be one of the few non-comedic characters is a complete mystery. Similarly, Craig Robinson is also here, as Connelly, and remains kind of confusing as to why. He deserves so much better.

In the end, My Spy: The Eternal City is a decent enough sequel that should inevitably generate decent ratings following its release on Prime Video over the course of its opening weekend. Though it might not be as good as the original film and suffers an identity crisis once it hits its second half, but that being said, it is far more enjoyable than most comedy sequels nowadays. Here’s to hoping that if a third film in the franchise were to be greenlit, it will be more grounded and goes back to basics.

still courtesy of Prime Video

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/