Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London is the sequel to the 2003
film Agent Cody Banks, and was released in the
United States on March 12, 2004. Frankie Muniz was the only major returning star, with Hannah Spearritt now playing the love interest and Anthony
Anderson as the sidekick. As the title suggests, the location had switched to London with Cody trying to recover a stolen software activating the government's mind control
project.
The second film may be the last theatrical release for the fledging series. The US$23 million gross for the sequel was about half of the original, and Muniz has publicly stated
that he will not do a third installment. An argument could be made that he is getting too old even if he wanted to do another: He
was 18 (playing a sixteen-year-old) in the second film. (Not to be outdone, Spearritt was twenty-three playing a high
schooler.)
Plot
A rogue CIA agent has stolen a top
secret mind-control device and Agent Cody Banks has to go undercover in
London to get it back. Posing as a student at an elite boarding school registered in the summer music program for musical prodigys to get close to his
suspects, Cody has to keep the other kids from discovering his true identity while infiltrating covert hideouts, spying on his
sinister target -- and going to class. With new gadgets and a wisecracking new handler, Derek, Cody has to retrieve the device
before the world's leaders fall under the evil control of a diabolical villain.
Gadgets
Destination London gives a variety of new gadgets. Most of them are given to Cody in the secret area in the London Crypt by
their insane inventor.
- Mentos - The Mentos featured a "lick n' stick" activation sequence. Once stuck on, they
produce a small explosion capable of disabling and destroying locks (and your jaw, if you accidentally eat one). A hint at the
Diet Coke and Mentos eruption experiment?
- The Travel Kit - A kit of travel essentials containing the following gadgets:
- Retainer - Works as a personal listening device with frequency, direction, and volume controlled by the tongue.
- Spy Pen - Switches around to become a grappling hook.
- Yo-yo - Splits in half and has enough strength to open elevator doors. Also includes a suction cup.
- Flashlight/Torch - Diaz's weapon. Extends to become a mobile rocket launcher with an optional crosshair.
- Clarinet - The clarinet is rigged electronically to be able to play pieces of music. it is used so it would seem that Cody
could play the clarinet as well as the other prodigies.
- Cody's Watch - The watch has a small color screen and a very small lens capable of recording a video with full sound
playback, as well. Emily's sunglasses mimic the function with the information transferred to an mp3 player which is then plugged in to an external source such as a TV for playback.
Car
Derek and Kumar's car is an extremely hi-tech one, employing the disguise of a London taxi. Derek said he designed it
himself.
- Gucci Interior
- Plasma flat screen TV
- DVD surround sound
- GPS (Global Positioning System)
- Wireless Ethernet
- Music system that is comparable to sound systems one may see in Need for
Speed: Underground 2, or the Midnight Club series.
- "Agent Tracker" which seems to be able to show the layout of a building and show everyone in it, allowing agents to be
tracked throughout the building
- Sliding drivers seat with full computer system
- M&M dish with miniature propeller
Novelisation
The Novelisation, written by Michael Anthony Steele, based on the screenplay written by Don Rhymer, featured many differences
from the movie. Examples:
- The book starts out at the training camp, where Cody is participating in a holographic training simulator where he was
fighting people while hanging from a building. In the movie, it starts with a violent game of capture the flag.
- In the climax of the movie, Victor Diaz and Kenworth are arrested. In the novelisation, Kenworth is arrested and Diaz flees
from police to a helicopter pad. When he tries to escape, Cody with the help of Emily and Derek, manage to throw an air tank at
the helicopter and it explodes as Cody leaps over the edge.
External links
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