We Can Be Heroes (2020)

We Can Be Heroes (2020)

 5/10

 

Starring

Priyanka Chopra

Yaya Gosselin

Andy Walken

Hala Finley

 

Directed by Robert Rodriguez

 

I made a mistake taking the time to watch this movie because I thought it would be worth seeing, but Robert Rodriguez’s superhero film is clearly made solely for children. As an adult, I found myself disliking almost every moment. The theme of power transfer and the way it happens feels like something straight out of a Nickelodeon kids’ show.

The only reason I gave it a shot was Pedro Pascal’s presence (yes, The Mandalorian himself), but even then, he played a very small role as Missy’s father.

The movie’s plot starts off promising, but as it unfolds, it feels like it was written by a child. The ending, which attempts to tie everything together, only makes it worse—it comes across as a time-waster. The CGI is unimpressive, and honestly, it doesn’t even seem like they tried. For a film borrowing heavily from Sky High and Spy Kids, you’d think they’d put in more effort. Sky High handled similar ideas far better, with enough appeal for both kids and adults.

You can’t even argue this was made for really young kids, considering the plot involves alien attacks, a planned escape, and fight scenes. But the fight choreography was so bad it was almost painful to watch. They could have done a better job casting the child actors too—seriously, come on.

The movie is set in a world where humans with powers are the norm. The main character, Missy, lives with her father, who has vowed never to be a hero again due to an incident in their past. Strangely, the heroes in this world all seem selfish and unwilling to work together.

One fateful day, aliens attack Earth and capture all the heroes. Their children are kept safe in the heroes’ headquarters, where Missy meets the other kids and learns about their individual powers. However, Missy herself has not discovered—or may not even have—any powers.

Among the children is Ojo, who doesn’t speak but has the ability to see the future and draw it on a pad. When Missy notices that one of Ojo’s drawings predicts an alien attack on their safe house, she mobilizes the other kids to escape. They’re pursued by men from the heroes’ HQ as they go on the run.

Now, out on their own, the children must find a way to save their parents—and the world.

This movie is pure Robert Rodriguez; he wrote, directed, produced, edited, and even served as the cinematographer. While that’s impressive in terms of workload, it doesn’t make up for the lackluster result.

The movie is streaming on Netflix, but as I said—this one’s strictly for kids.