We Can Be Heroes is a superhero family film directed by Robert Rodriguez as a spin off to his The Adventures Of Sharkboy and Lavagirl In 3D. The plot picks up sometime after the events of Sharkboy and Lavagirl and focus on the next generation of superheroes, as they have to fight off an alien invasion when there super heroic parents get captured.
This is a mixed bag. To start on a positive note, I enjoyed the films playful sense of humour it often made me laugh and I was smiling throughout. I also thought the world was well developed and flushed out (which is one of Rodriguez’s best qualities as a filmmaker). I think this film did a great job exploring the lore set up by the previous film and it capitalises on it to great effect.
On the other hand, however, all of Rodriguez’s issues from the Spy Kids films are in full effect here. The film is far too busy and there is often something being forgotten or overlooked because you can’t focus on it all; appealing to children’s 5 second attention spans is all well and good, but it does serve to alienate the adults in the audience.
Secondly, the ending feels like a cop out. It is not as bad as it was all a dream, but it is not far off. The intention was clearly to have the ending be this big emotional pay off but that didn’t come across and the ending left me cold and a little bit irritated.
Finally, the film has a real issue with cringeworthy dialogue and moments, whether it is some of the lines the child actors come out with (most of who are not giving good performances), or rather the on the nose slowed down butchering of a classic David Bowie song, there are more than enough moments to make your whole body cringe.
Overall, there is still some greatness here, however the charm of the previous film and Rodriguez’s Spy Kids films is not here, unlike the issues which most definitely carry over.
Pros.
Pedro Pascal
The humour
The world
Cons.
It is frequently cringey
There is too much going on
The ending is very, very bad
2/5
Reviewed by Luke
Another Millennial Reviewer 