Spy Kids (tv)

Christmas TV was, on balance, dreadful. From the earth shattering unfunny French and Saunders to the disappointingly tired Two Ronnies Christmas Sketchbook, a poor showcase for the genius of Ronnie Barker displayed in the occasional Porridge repeat.

In fact the only half decent Christmas shows were Dr Who and a Morecambe & Wise I hadn't seen before, curiously appearing on Channel 5. Movies didn't fare much better with the notable exception of Spy Kids 1 & 2.

I'd been looking forward to the first since downloading the trailer years ago but never got round to acting my age and true calling by going to see it. In fact I was even put off when the film version of Thunderbirds was described as 'another Spy Kids'. Overly generous praise for Thunderbirds as it turns out and vastly underrating these Robert Rodriguez efforts.

These are gadget-gorged futuristic-fairytale mini-masterpieces with oh so silly and enjoyable storylines and superb performances from the cast (including the crucial, not at all cringe-inducing, lilliputian leads) and cameos. It's Antonio Banderas, who's recently gone up in my estimations with Shrek 2, who steals the show particularly in the first outing.

The most colourful and whimsical children's film for adults since Toys.