Review - We Can Be Heroes (2020)

         Hey Guys, Chuck here. Hope you all enjoyed the holidays, and are having a great start to the New Year. As promised, I'm  kicking off the new year with one of the last new releases of 2020 that I watched: We Can Be Heroes. Released on Netflix back on Christmas Day 2020, this family-friendly superhero action movie was directed by Robert Rodriguez, and while initially announced as a spiritual follow-up to his earlier film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, the film is set in a completely different world from that earlier film. So, don't expect to see many references to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. But, let's dive right into We Can Be Heroes, which has been blowing up Netflix over the past week since its Christmas Day debut on the platform.

        The movie establishes that the Earth is protected by a team of superheroes called the Heroics. One day, a fleet of alien ships arrive from the planet Ogima to mount an invasion of some sort, which causes the entire team of the Heroics to be called into action, including the semi-retired leader of the team Marcus Moreno. The Heroics also consists of superheroes Miracle Guy, Tech-No, Ms. Vox, Invisi-Girl, Crushing Low, Blinding Fast, Crimson Legend, Red Lightning Fury, Sharkboy, and Lavagirl. In the battle against the invaders, the team is taken out one-by-one. Meanwhile, the children of the Heroics, who were all taken to Heroics Headquarters for their safety while their parents are fighting the invaders, make a plan to escape and rescue their captive parents. The children of the Heroics consist of Missy Moreno, Wild Card, Wheels, Noodles, Facemaker, A-Capella, Slo-Mo, Guppy, and sibling Fast Forward and Rewind. There's also Ojo, who tags along with the team of superpowered kids. The kids manage to escape, much to the chagrin of Ms. Granada, who is charged with watching over them. 

        After the kids make their escape, they make their way to the home of Missy's grandmother, Anita Moreno, who trained all of the Heroics, and agrees to train the kids in how to control their powers and work as a team. After a training montage, Missy and the other kids get away just as the aliens arrive to capture the kids. So the kids find an alien craft and take it up to the Mother Ship, while Anita is caught and joins the Heroics on the ship. The kids then make a plan to stop an event known as "The Takeover," and rescue their parents. It's at this point that several plot twists take place. First, we learn that both Ms. Granada and President Neil Anami are aliens as well. After the kids arrive at what is believed to be a drop ship containing more aliens for "the Takeover," Ojo, who has been silent for most of the movie. we learn is able to speak, and is not only an alien scout, but is the leader of the invading aliens. After completing their task, the final plot twist is revealed: the captured Heroics were inside the drop ship, and the invasion was all a test to see of the children of the Heroics could work together as a team, and the Takeover was meant to be a passing of the torch for the next generation of superheroes. Ojo also reveals that on planet Ogima, kids are in charge, and adults have to listen to what kids tell them to do. The kids reunite with their parents, and prepare to save the world from future threats. 

        Okay, so We Can Be Heroes is a lot of fun. If there's one thing I admire about Robert Rodriguez is that he can make entertaining films for two different age demographics. There's his films for adults, like Sin City, Machete, and Desparado, and then there's the family films like this movie, as well as Spy Kids and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. And speaking of that film in particular, it's absolutely fantastic that Taylor Dooley returns to reprise the role of Lavagirl fifteen years after playing the character the first time. Sharkboy, on the other hand, is portrayed this time around by the film's stunt coordinator JJ Dashnaw, due to it being a silent performance with zero dialogue. Other members of the adult cast that are worth mentioning include Pedro Pascal as Marcus Moreno, whose on a real hot streak right now with his starring role on The Mandalorian on Disney+. We also have the likes of Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Boyd Holbrook, Sung Kang, Haley Reinhart, and Christian Slater. However, the real stars of this movie are the kids, and they're all terrific. Easily the one breakout character among the kids is Vivien Blair as Guppy, who is the daughter of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. I'd also like to point out that Rewind and Red Lightning Fury are portrayed respectively by Isaiah Russell-Bailey and Brittany Perry-Russell, who are mother and son in real life. 

        The visual effects, which are a common criticism in any Robert Rodriguez family film, are actually really good in this movie. I don't know, maybe it's just because the movie is on Netflix, and not in a movie theater, or maybe because it has been a decade since the release of Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, so they've improved over time. I'd also like to give a shout-out to the music score, which was composed by Robert's son Rebel Rodriguez. On top of that, another of Robert's sons, Racer Max, worked as a producer on the film, which makes sense because Racer was the one who came up with the characters of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in the first place. So, this film really is a Rodriguez family film. I admit, I had a lot of fun with We Can Be Heroes. In my opinion, the movie is The Avengers meets Spy Kids in the absolute best way possible. I honestly think it's the best Netflix movie of 2020 that I've watched, just edging out Enola Holmes from that spot. It is, for that reason, that I'm giving We Can Be Heroes a rating of 5/5. Now, there are talks of a potential sequel, in which the plan would be for there to be a much bigger role for Sharkboy, which would warrant for the return of Taylor Lautner in the role. I definitely want to see a sequel where the Heroics and the kids face a team of supervillains, and one of them could be Sharkboy's brother Hammerhead or something like that. We'll see what the future holds. Heck, the only reason this movie got made is because of the rise in popularity of Robert's family films like the Spy Kids films and Sharkboy and Lavagirl on Netflix, so they wanted to see what other family-friendly films he had to offer. Now, the next major project that Robert Rodriguez is working on is The Book of Boba Fett, which is a spin-off of The Mandalorian. So keep an eye out for that. 

        This is Chuck signing off. Tomorrow, I'll be counting down my Top 15 Most Anticipated Films of 2021. Also, keep an eye out for Pixar Month, which will be taking place in February. See you guys next time.