Spy Kids: All the Time in the World 4D

4D? That’s normal 3D plus rub ‘n’ sniff cards impregnated with eight aromas that the audience is encouraged to smell at various points in the movie. Maybe my card was faulty, but at least seven of the eight smelled exactly the same to me – like tutti frutti bubblegum. Confusing. But not as confusing as the movie itself.

It opens, gobsmackingly, with Jessica Alba’s heavily pregnant spy Marissa Wilson dispensing some crims before being whisked off to the labour ward. Her husband, Wilbur (Joel McHale), a popular host of TV’s ‘Spy Hunter’ programme who has no idea his own wife is a super spy, is over the moon with their new baby girl. But there’s ongoing friction within the family. His kids from an earlier marriage can’t stand their stepmother, yet all will be forgotten the moment they discover she’s a supercool spy working on a case involving helium-voiced villain Tick Tock (Jeremy Piven) and his elaborate plan to speed up time.

For every strong visual effect, there’s a host of duff ones. The car chases are sped up and jerkily edited and give the film an uncomfortable cartoonish look. Kiddies will relish the over-the-top gadgetry – but anyone over the age of seven will find it a chore.