We Can Be Heroes (film)

We Can Be Heroes is a 2020 American superhero film written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. It is a standalone sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005). Rodriguez was also cinematographer and editor of the film, which stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Pedro Pascal, YaYa Gosselin, Boyd Holbrook, Adriana Barraza, Sung Kang, Taylor Dooley, and Christian Slater. It was released on December 25, 2020, by Netflix and received mixed reviews from critics. A sequel is in development.

Not to be confused with We Could Be Heroes.
We Can Be Heroes
Official release poster
Directed byRobert Rodriguez
Produced by
  • Racer Rodriguez
  • Robert Rodriguez
Written byRobert Rodriguez
Starring
Music byRebel Rodriguez
CinematographyRobert Rodriguez
Edited byRobert Rodriguez
Production
company
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • December 25, 2020 (2020-12-25) (United States)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Missy Moreno is at home with her dad, Marcus Moreno, when they receive word that aliens are invading. Missy is taken to Heroics Headquarters and placed in a vault with other children of the Heroics, a team of superheroes. Marcus, who retired from the Heroics, is reinstated as a member by Mrs. Granada, leader of the Program.

Missy meets the other children: Wheels, who possesses super-intelligence; Noodles, who can stretch his body; Ojo, who is mute and only communicates through art; A-Capella, who moves objects by singing; Slo-Mo, who is always in slow motion; Face Maker, who can make any face; Rewind and Fast Forward, twins that can alter time; Wild Card, who has immense power but no control over it; and Guppy, who has "shark strength" and can shape water into anything. The kids watch the battle between the aliens and Heroics on television, which ends with the Heroics being captured. Missy realizes that Ojo's drawings tell the future. When a drawing shows aliens breaking into the vault, the kids hatch a plan to escape.

Face Maker tricks the guards into coming into the vault where Guppy subdues them, but not before one of the guards triggers an emergency lockdown. Rewind sends them back in time, Wheels stops the guard from pushing the button, and Noodles steals their security badges. Mrs. Granada spots Missy in the hallway and seals the doors, but A-Capella makes a staircase to the roof, allowing them to escape. Noodles secures a vehicle, and the kids evade capture.

The kids land at the home of Missy's grandmother, who used to train the Heroics. She helps the kids master their powers and work as a team. The aliens arrive and Grandma sends the kids through a tunnel that leads to an empty field before she is captured. The kids spot an empty alien craft and use it to reach their Mother ship. They locate at a room with a purple pyramid, and see the president and Ms. Granada speaking with each other. The two reveal that they are alien spies, sent to prepare Earth for a "takeover". The kids are placed in a cell. Guppy makes a replica of the cell key from the children's tears and opens the door. A fight between the kids and the aliens ensues and Wild Card is caught and taken for questioning, while the other kids make their way to the pyramid.

Wheels hacks into the motherboard, but Ojo reveals that she can speak and is Supreme Commander of the aliens. Missy manages to communicate with Wild Card in the control room; Face Maker managed to switch places with him. Granada goes after Wild Card, but not before the protective shield around the motherboard is deactivated. With the kids holding off the aliens, Wheels and Noodles remove the motherboard and swap it with a new one to deactivate the alien's rocket, foiling their takeover. To the kids' surprise, their parents emerge from the rocket. Ojo reveals that she and Ms. Granada faked the "takeover" in order to train the kids to be the new Heroics. The kids reunite with their parents, and soon are ready to save the world.

Cast
  • YaYa Gosselin as Missy Moreno
  • Hala Finley as Ojo, Ms. Granada's stepdaughter.
  • Lyon Daniels as Noodles, Invisi Girl’s son.
  • Nathan Blair as Wild Card, Tech-No's son.
  • Andy Walken as Wheels, Miracle Guy's son.
  • Lotus Blossom as A Capella, Ms. Vox's daughter.
  • Dylan Henry Lau as Slo-Mo, Blinding Fast's son.
  • Vivien Blair as Guppy, Sharkboy and Lavagirl’s daughter.
  • Isaiah Russell-Bailey as Rewind, Crimson Legend & Red Lightning Fury's son.
  • Akira Akbar as Fast Forward, Crimson Legend & Red Lightning Fury's daughter.
  • Andrew Diaz as Facemaker, Crushing Low's son.
  • Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Ms. Granada, the leader of the Heroics Program.
  • Adriana Barraza as Anita Moreno, Marcus' mother.
  • Pedro Pascal as Marcus Moreno, a superhero and master swordsman.
  • Boyd Holbrook as Miracle Guy, a superhero with super strength.
  • Christian Slater as Tech-No, a superhero with technology powers.
  • Taylor Dooley as Lavagirl, a super heroine with lava-based powers. Dooley reprised her role from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.[1]
  • Sung Kang as Blinding Fast, a superhero with super-speed.
  • Haley Reinhart as Ms. Vox, a superhero with a sonar scream.
  • JJ Dashnaw as Sharkboy, a silent role, in which his face is obscured, due to Taylor Lautner, who played Sharkboy in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, being unavailable.[1]
  • Christopher McDonald as Neil Anami, the President of the United States.
  • J. Quinton Johnson as Crimson Legend, a superhero who can make solar explosions.
  • Brittany Perry-Russell as Red Lightning Fury, a superhero with lightning powers.
  • Jamie Perez as Invisi Girl, a superhero with invisibility powers.
  • Brently Heilbron as Crushing Low, a superhero with super-strength.

Production

Netflix approached Robert Rodriguez saying his films always did well on their service and that no one else makes the kind of live action family friendly films he makes.[2] Rodriguez wrote, directed, and produced We Can Be Heroes through his Troublemaker Studios.[3] Priyanka Chopra,[3] along with Christian Slater and Pedro Pascal, were announced to star.[4] Principal photography began in August 2019, shooting in Texas.[4] Visual effects were provided by Weta Digital.[2]

Release

The film was released on December 25, 2020,[5] pushed forward from a January 1, 2021 release date.[6]

Reception

Audience viewership

Upon its release the film was the most-watched title in its opening weekend, then finished third the following weekend before returning to first in its third weekend.[7][8] It finished second behind new Netflix release Outside the Wire in its fourth weekend.[9] It was revealed that the film have been seen by 53 million of households during the first four weeks.[10]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 73% based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The site's consensus reads, "Although it may be too zany for adults, We Can Be Heroes balances its sophisticated themes with heart and zealous originality."[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]

David Ehrlich of IndieWire called it a "zany, imaginative, and extremely kid-oriented Avengers riff that combines major stars with Snapchat-level special effects in order to lend a live-action Saturday morning cartoon vibe to a story about seizing your own destiny, We Can Be Heroes is the ultimate Troublemaker movie."[13]

Sequel

In January 2021, Netflix announced they are planning to develop a sequel.[14]

References
  1. Sanchez, Omar (June 10, 2020). "Remembering Sharkboy and Lavagirl: The on-set antics that defined the 3D kids' classic". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  2. Thompson, Simon (December 23, 2020). "Robert Rodriguez Talks "We Could Be Heroes," More "Alita" and the Appeal of Pedro Pascal". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  3. Wiseman, Andreas (August 21, 2019). "Priyanka Chopra Jonas To Star In Netflix Superhero Movie From 'Alita: Battle Angel' Director Robert Rodriguez". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  4. Ramos, Dino-Ray (August 21, 2019). "Christian Slater, YaYa Gosselin, Akira Akbar, Pedro Pascal And More Join Robert Rodriguez's 'We Can Be Heroes' At Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  5. Goldberg, Matt (December 4, 2020). "'We Can Be Heroes' Takes Us Back to the World of 'Sharkboy and Lavagirl'". Collider. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  6. Hemmert, Kylie (November 12, 2020). "'We Can Be Heroes' First-Look Photos Released for Robert Rodriguez's Superhero Movie". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  7. Brueggemann, Tom (January 4, 2021). "With Liam Neeson and 'The Croods: A New Age,' Home Viewing Thrives". IndieWire. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  8. Brueggemann, Tom (January 11, 2021). "A Reduced-Price 'Tenet' and PVOD Debut 'Fatale' Stand Out in Home Viewing". IndieWire. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  9. Brueggemann, Tom (January 19, 2021). "'Tenet,' Now at $5.99, Strong Against PVOD Debut of Tom Hanks in 'News of the World'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  10. LaPorte, Nicole (January 19, 2021). "Netflix soars to more than 200 million subscribers. What you need to know". Fast Company. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  11. "We Can Be Heroes (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  12. "We Can Be Heroes Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  13. Ehrlich, David (December 25, 2020). "'We Can Be Heroes' Review: Robert Rodriguez Delivers a Fun DIY 'Avengers' for Little Kids". IndieWire. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  14. White, Peter (January 4, 2021). ""Bridgerton" and "We Can Be Heroes" Join "The Midnight Sky" As Top Netflix Festive Titles, Streamer Lines Up Sequel To Robert Rodriguez Kids Film". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
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