We can be Heroes

 

8/10

We can be Heroes is the newest kids film from Robert Rodriguez and a spin-off to his 2005 entry The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D. (One of the main characters is SB and LG's daughter Guppy (played by Vivien Lyra Blair)). In it, the world's biggest superheroes are captured by aliens and their children, most of which have powers of their own, go to rescue them. I felt this was good for what it is.

Rodriguez is known for his very specific style of kids film. He's doing these specifically for children (I hear he's gotten ideas and input from his own kids) with no worries about "real world rules" or adding stuff for adults. They're mostly just goofy fun. Sometimes I think these movies work, like Spy Kids and SK 4-D, and sometimes the plots are so thin that they don't, like SK 2 & 3-D. I'm happy to say that this is one that works. It's got a tight and clear and story that knows where it is going and what it is trying to say. In fact, I think it's much better than Sharkboy and Lava Girl, which threw too many things at the fan.

The kid heroes work better than the SB & LG characters as well. They all have clear personalities and fun powers. (My favorite was the "big diva musical performance" lover A Cappella (Lotus Blossom)). Though there are eleven of them, their screentime and characterization is balanced surprisingly well. I mean, there's no deep character development; this isn't one of those type of films. The kid actors all did a good job. Blair, the youngest, does feel like she's reading lines from a cue card but she's pretty good with the nonverbal stuff. 

I meant it when I said this was a spin-off and not a sequel to SB & LG. Sharkboy (JJ Dashnaw replacing Taylor Lautner) and Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley) aren't in this very much as are the rest of the parents. (Yeah, I don't know why they don't rename themselves Sharkman and Lavawoman. I mean they're still in their twenties but sooner or later the names won't match the appearances). The characters aren't given much room to breathe, but all the actors are having fun. There are a couple of refreshingly surprising known names here that I won't spoil if you don't know yet. 

Overall, this isn't high art, but it serves its purpose: entertaining kids. Both my nephews really liked this and watched it more than once. If you generally like Rodriguez's kids films or like some but not all of them then this is worth taking a chance. If you straight up get nothing from these than, yeah there's nothing to change your mind here. The director's staying the course.