Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed by Kevin Allen. Written by Don Rhymer. Running time: 93 minutes. Rated PG (for action violence and some crude humor).

This movie opens at Camp Woody, a secret summer camp where the CIA trains teenagers to become junior James Bonds. Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz, likable star of TV's "Malcolm in the Middle") is a smart, resourceful kid who smells something fishy at the camp, run by bad guy Diaz (Keith Allen).

Cody soon unveils a secret plot and finds himself on assignment in London with his motor-mouth handler, Derek (hip hop comedian Anthony Anderson). Their mission: to prevent the CIA's bad guys from gaining possession of a mind control device which fits inside a tooth and turns its wearer into a zombie. Cody must subvert a conference of world leaders at Buckingham Palace by posing as a clarinet player in a world-class youth orchestra (not as hard as it sounds, since his agency-supplied clarinet plays itself).

So far, so good. The problem is it's taken half the movie to get us here. I turned to my 6-year-old and asked how she liked it so far. "It's totally boring," she shrugged. "All they do is talk, talk, talk!" Admittedly, the movie is geared towards older kids, but my 9-year-old son also looked bored and fidgety.

In fact, we agree with director Kevin Allen, who lost a fight with studio executives over the film's start. "In the beginning, I just think we should have gotten out of America earlier," he says in a SCI FI Wire interview. "There's so much setup we could have done without."

But things pick up in the second half, where an assortment of kid-centric capers zap life into the movie: a maniacal "Q"-type character who supplies Cody with secret weapons, such as a pack of Mentos that explode when moistened; mind-control stunts that include a food fight and piano-playing dog; and a climactic fight scene against a backdrop of the youth orchestra jamming to funky Baby Boomer tune, "War."

In short, not as good as the first Cody Banks installment, but still offers a few laughs, a few cool gadgets, and a few stand-out characters (Anthony Anderson and Hannah Spearritt, who gained fame in the British pop band and TV series "S Club 7"). If it's a choice between Cody Banks 2: Destination London and a long, rainy afternoon with the kids indoors, it's not a bad option.

SCORE: 2 out of 4 Reels.

---

Jane's Reel Rating System:

One Reel – Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it.

Two Reels – Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.

Three Reels – Pleasant. Something to talk about.

Four Reels – Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.

E-chat with me at jane@reellifewithjane.com - I LOVE to talk about movies! For more about me, check out my writer’s Web site, www.janeboursaw.com.

Read my other reviews here.