Nerdly » ‘We Can Be Heroes’ Review (Netflix)

05th Jan2021

‘We Can Be Heroes’ Review (Netflix)

by Kevin Haldon

Stars: YaYa Gosselin, Pedro Pascal, Lyon Daniels, Priyanka Chopra, Andy Walken, Hala Finley, Lotus Blossom, Dylan Henry Lau, Andrew Diaz, Isaiah Russell-Bailey, Akira Akbar, Nathan Blair | Written and Directed by Robert Rodriguez

Thank god for directors like Robert Rodriguez. Directors who still have the capacity, passion and vision to make the movie they want to make… I love horror, I also love sci-fi, I definitely love action and sometimes… not always… but sometimes, I do love a good rom-com. Yet there are moments when a certain director releases a movie that has you excited by the sheer mention of it and when it comes to Robert Rodriguez nothing gets me more excited than an action-adventure effects-laden superhero flick for kids. You will never find me apologising for my love of the Spy Kids trilogy (no, 4th one doesn’t count) because those are movies I loved when I was a bit younger and those are movies my kids are loving right now. I could watch these movies all day long.

Yes, I know they are campy and cheesy but hey sometimes you just need a little of that. Very few directors have the ability to show on the screen how it made them feel, as writers, inside as they penned the script. I always get a feel for Rodriguez’s inner child when I watch these movies and they always leave me with a big smile on my face, usually because I just had fun with the movie. Throw into the mix that We Can Be Heroes is essentially a superhero spiritual sequel to Sharkboy and Lava Girl and I can’t help but say “shut up and take my money.”

When a whole bunch of alien invaders make their way to Earth they are met by our very best superheroes. They quickly and somewhat easily defeat our Heroes due to their inability to work together and kidnap them. Now its up to the super children to team up, learn how to fight alongside each other and kick some alien Ass in an effort to save their parents and the world.

The Kids: Its not that often I can get away watching a film filled with a cast of kids; but I honestly thought all of these kids were excellent in their roles. With YaYa Gosselin (FBI:Most Wanted) effectively taking up the leader role for the super-kids. I won’t sit here and go through all of the kids and their roles within the group but suffice it to say Rodriguez has done an outstanding job of casting these young ones with a special mention for Vivien Blair who plays Guppy (daughter of Shark Boy and Lava Girl) because she is so bloody adorable and steals the film. They all suit the roles they play and really bring a huge element of fun to every scene. I mean who wouldn’t love to be running around pretending to be a superhero?

The Adults: This was a list of actors and actresses you know and love from all manner of genres and movies. Pedro Pascal is an actor who can turn his hand at just about any role and plays this one with a tongue firmly in his cheek while taking it just serious enough. Boyd Holbrook, Christian Slater, Sung Kang and the original Lava Girl Taylor Dooley (no Lautner though) are just a few of our adult heroes which I think you will all agree is the makings of a solid team, Christian Slater man who doesnt need more Slater in their lives?

I genuinely have nothing bad to say about We Can Be Heroes. Rodriguez does not make these movies for you to think overly hard about them. They are fun family stories that I can actually imagine him sitting and telling his kids at bedtime or that I would tell my kids. Yes they are special-effects heavy and not always perfect but there is a time for perfection and a time for just straight up happy fun, this is a movie we all need right now. So just sit down with the little ones put Netflix on and get ready for campy superhero kids fun.

I loved We Can Be Heroes and have no doubt you will too.