SPY x FAMILY CODE: White feels like an extra-long episode of the beloved anime show, which is great news for fans.
This first movie in the SPY x FAMILY franchise, based on Tatsuya Endo’s manga, is the perfect blend of exciting action scenes, espionage plots, cute family moments and the silliest twists one could hope for. After all, one of the main plot points in the story (and the funniest too) involves a group of angry soldiers monitoring Anya’s bowel movements.
Channelling the TV series’ playful spirit and unseriousness, this is the kind of story that treats a mission to prevent war and the search for cake ingredients with the same level of earnestness.
If you were already in love with the Forger family, this movie will satisfy all your needs with a well-rounded story that stays true to the show’s magic. If you are coming in new, don’t worry — the movie is quite self-explanatory, including a detailed prologue that introduces viewers to the unusual situation at hand.
Loid Forger (alias Twilight) is a secret spy on a mission to maintain peace between his home country Westalis and the rival nation of Ostania. He forms a fake family as his cover, unknowingly putting together the strangest group possible. His wife Yor is secretly a lethal assassin known as Thorn Princess, his five-year-old adopted daughter Anya is a telepath and their dog Bond can see the future.
They come together to create an unlikely and yet perfect family, as proven by the exciting team effort displayed in the events of the movie.
The action kicks off with the announcement of a dessert competition at Eden College, which Anya needs to win in order to keep climbing social ranks at school and prove to Loid’s demanding bosses that Operation Strix is on the right track. However, the competition suddenly turns into a much bigger mission.
Determined to learn how to bake the principal’s favourite cake, Meremere, the Forgers plan a weekend trip to the region of Frigis, and inadvertently get caught in the middle of a colossal evil plot.
The scary-looking Colonel Snidel is planning to ignite an armed conflict between the nations of Ostania and Westalis utilising important intel and some devastating high-tech weapons. Little do this rogue military group know, though, that their biggest foe is a pink-haired girl with an uncontrollable sweet tooth.
It’s no surprise that Anya steals the show, particularly with a psychedelic hallucination where she interacts with The Poop God while attempting very hard to not go to the toilet.
In SPY x FAMILY CODE: White, a family weekend gives way to a high-stakes adventure with some incredibly fun and adorable moments, and intense fighting sequences.
There is something for every type of fan, from those who enjoy Anya’s utterly silly comedy brand to the people craving action scenes on a big scale and the hopeless romantics desperately waiting for Loid and Yor to finally fall in love.
The movie’s main theme, though, is family bonds, and how the Forgers’ surreal and unexpected adventures only keep strengthening those connections. Even if Loid is not ready to accept it yet, it’s clear this fake family has become more than a cover.
SPY x FAMILY CODE: White doesn’t reveal any secrets about the highly anticipated season three, but it sure proves these characters are still as hysterical and entertaining to watch as ever.
SPY x FAMILY CODE: White is now out in UK cinemas.
Deputy Movies Editor, Digital Spy
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over seven years, mostly for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas.
Her work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema in the UK.
She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world, and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She’s also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London.
Now based in the UK, Mireia joined Digital Spy in June 2023 as Deputy Movies Editor.
