Don’t bank on ‘Cody Banks’; ‘Willard’ thrills at its own pace

James Bond goes teen in ‘Cody Banks’

Hilary Duff from Disney’s “Lizzie McGuire” and “Malcolm in the

Middle’s” Frankie Muniz star in “Agent Cody Banks,” a classic

boy-meets-girl, boy-saves-girl movie.

Trained at a CIA summer camp for teenagers, Cody Banks (Muniz) is

assigned his first mission, to help the CIA prevent the “bad guys”

from creating apocalyptic ice cubes.

Banks has the whole package -- genius, martial arts mastery and

high-tech gadgets -- but he isn’t exactly a ladies’ man. This is a

problem for the young agent, because to find the “bad guys” and Dr.

Connors, who is being manipulated by the evil scientists, he must

become close with Connors’ popular 15-year-old daughter, Natalie

(Duff).

The audience follows a young aspiring CIA agent on his adventure

through the Cascades to rescue the daughter of Dr. Connors and

prevent the exploitation of a science experiment gone wrong.

Disney has created a children’s version of James Bond with young

romance, a couple laughs and an enthralling, adventurous plot.

Although his mission starts out as just part of his job, Banks’

intentions begin to alter, for he becomes romantically attached.

When Natalie Connors is kidnapped, she becomes the damsel in

distress, awaiting the arrival of her knight in shining armor, who,

to her surprise, happens to be Banks. And what happens in the end?

Well, what Disney movie does not end happily ever after?

This movie didn’t have a clever plot, and the idea was ordinary

and amateur. Most of the scenes, especially the ending, were

predictable.

In “Agent Cody Banks,” I think Disney tried too much to make a

stereotypical comic-book movie about normal people who become heroes,

and save the world.

For children, it was a movie for “Lizzie McGuire” fans and young

Disney enthusiasts who enjoy the average adventure story. For adults,

I suggest just sticking to James Bond and Austin Powers.

* MEGHAN RUSSELL is a Newport Beach resident and a sophomore at

Mater Dei.

Rats go bad in a good way in ‘Willard’

As I settled into my seat to see the new horror film “Willard” on

its opening night, I was reminded that most people hate rats. This

wasn’t because the audience screamed in unison when hundreds of rats

filled the screen, preying upon their human victims.

No, I was reminded that people hate rats when I looked around the

empty darkened theater and realized that I would be alone if not for

three other brave souls.

People will come out for cannibalistic serial killers, but it

appears that rats are just a little too menacing. And that is a

shame.

Writer/director Glen Morgan, who borrowed extensively from Alfred

Hitchcock’s horror classics “Psycho” and “The Birds,” has

successfully reintroduced the elements of suspense and character

development to the horror genre in this spooky film.

For viewers who only appreciate fast-paced slasher flicks,

“Willard” would be a disappointment. By modern standards, the body

count is very low.

But the movie is not about pushing the plot along to get to the

next dynamic dismemberment. Rather it is about immersing the audience

into a bizarre world and letting them live in it for a little while.

Crispin Glover, best known for playing Michael J. Fox’s wimpy dad

in the “Back to the Future” series, is perfectly cast as wimpy

Willard Stiles. Glover brings a creepy intensity to his performance,

and the way that he bonds with his rodent cast members makes you

wonder if he is acting at all.

The similarities between Willard and Norman Bates from “Psycho”

are hard to miss. Both struggle with an overbearing mother, live in a

spooky old house, play with creepy animals, are awkward with the

ladies, and have a hard time not killing people.

Willard’s boss and nemesis, Frank Martin (R. Lee Ermey), is just

the guy to push an already unstable person to the breaking point.

Ermey, who was a Marine drill sergeant in real life and in the film

“Full Metal Jacket,” uses his command presence to make his character

seem utterly horrible. Not even the support of an attractive temp,

ironically nicknamed “Cat” for Cathryn (Laura Elena Harring), is

enough to help Willard.

With the help of his rat friend Socrates, Willard is able to train

hundreds of the furry scavengers to do his bidding. Later, a power

struggle begins to develop when a gigantic rat, dubbed Big Ben, vies

to become the big cheese. As the rats become more organized and

vicious, it seems as if Willard may be creating a Frankenstein’s

monster that he is destined to lose control over. The suspense does

not let up until the final scene.

So, if you are tired of mind-numbing fun like “Bringing Down the

House” and “Agent Cody Banks” (Nos. 1 and 2 at the box office last

weekend), check out this retro thriller.

* RYAN GILMORE is Costa Mesa resident.