Rodriguez' superhero-kid adventure has action, humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Comical violence, including superheroes punching and slapping aliens. Kids perform martial arts-style combat moves on both aliens and human security guards. Several aliens get frozen and zapped with a laser. Some of the children stumble and accidently hurt one another. No one is seriously injured, no one dies. A girl's mother has died (not shown).
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Main character Missy has many great qualities. She understands that for the kids to be successful, they need to work together. Though she doesn't have any superpowers, Missy shows courage, is able to inspire and encourage the other kids through great leadership qualities. Wheels (so named because he uses a wheelchair) is the first superhero kid to speak to Missy and make her feel welcome. He's good with technology, is supportive of the other kids. A single dad raises a preteen daughter thoughtfully. Cast is very diverse. Adult superheroes bicker, seem more interested in showboating than in trying to be a team.
Positive Messages
a lot
Working as a team, you can accomplish great things. Always believe in yourself and the ability of others. Lead by example.
Educational Value
none
Intended for entertainment rather than education.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that We Can Be Heroes is a follow-up to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirland is set in the same world as Spy Kids. Like those movies, it centers on kids with special powers/abilities saving the day. Expect lots of comical violence, including aliens zapping superheroes, and superheroes punching aliens -- but (spoiler alert?) no one dies or is seriously injured. A man is raising his preteen daughter solo due to his wife's death (not shown). Language includes "oh my God" as an exclamation. The movie has strong messages about teamwork and believing in yourself. The main character, Missy (Yaya Gosselin), exemplifies courage and leadership as she helps the other kids in the movie come together. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
If there was a zero-star rating that would be what this movie would have gotten!
The worst movie I have ever seen! It is so boring. The plot does not make sense- the bad guys are their parents!?! The actors are terrible and the special effect looks fake. Very cringy. Worst movie I have ever watched! If there was a zero-star rating that would be what this movie would have gotten! Do not bother to watch!
DONT BOTHER WATCHING THIS MOVIE, THERE ISNT EVEN ANY POINT OF DOING A BAD REVIEW OF THIS MOVIE, BUT I WILL MAKE A PETITION FOR THIS MOVIE TO BE TAKEN DOWN FROM NETFLIX, I AGREE WITH ALL OF THE BAD COMMENTS, THIS MOVIE SHOULD TAKE A L WITH MY CUSTOMIZED NAILS!
What's the Story?
WE CAN BE HEROES centers on Missy (Yaya Gosselin), a young preteen without powers who lives with her retired superhero dad, Marcus (Pedro Pascal). When aliens come to the planet seemingly to destroy it, the head of the Heroic Central Agency (Priyanka Chopra), calls on all superheroes to fight the threat. This means that Marcus, former leader of the Heroics, must come out of retirement to join the fight, so Missy is taken to Heroic Central headquarters for protection. There she meets the rest of the superhero children (including the daughter of Sharkboy and Lavagirl) and learns that they all have pretty impressive powers: rewinding time, fast-forwarding time, super singing, control of liquid, elasticity, super strength. After the children's parents are defeated and taken back to the alien mothership and the kids learn that the aliens will be coming after them, Missy devises a plan for them all to escape ... and then the adventure really begins. Missy and the others must learn to work together, control their powers, and avoid capture by aliens in order to save their parents and Earth before time runs out.
This follow-up to Robert Rodriguez' other superhero-kid movies is surprisingly fun and entertaining for the whole family. Normally, sequels aren't as good as the original, but We Can Be Heroes is much better than its direct predecessor, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. This film's storyline -- and quality -- is more akin to Spy Kids.While some of the acting can be a bit over the top, kids will very much enjoy the movie's adventure aspect, as well as all the different superpowers on display. And parents are likely to find themselves chuckling, too.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how, in We Can Be Heroes, the adult superheroes are constantly bickering and arguing. What did the children do differently when faced with challenges? Did they do a better job working as a team? How can adults sometimes learn from children?
All of the kids except Missy have superpowers. How did she cope when faced with challenges and not having powers? How do you think you'd react in similar situations?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Stephanie Myers
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
