Parents' Guide to

How I Became a Superhero

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Some graphic violence, language in French superhero movie.

Movie NR 2021 97 minutes
How I Became a Superhero Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • How I Became a Superhero Movie: Scene One
  • How I Became a Superhero Movie: Scene Two
  • How I Became a Superhero Movie: Scene Three

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What's the Story?

In HOW I BECAME A SUPERHERO, superheroes and regular people coexist mostly peacefully in modern-day Paris. While most superheroes tend to use their powers to become famous celebrities, some are engaged in sinister plans leading to disastrous consequences. In a high school, a teen boy buys two vials of a mystery formula that temporarily gives him the power to shoot flame from his hands, and he uses that power to go after the classmates who have bullied him. Shortly before this, a nightclub was set on fire and burned to the ground. Sent to both scenes is Moreau (Pio Marmai), a street-smart cop who doesn't always play by the rules. Much to his initial annoyance, he's paired with Schaltzmann, a bright but untested rookie. As they begin their investigations into these crimes, Moreau talks to superheroes like the retired Monte Carlo, and Callista, who now works with underprivileged youth. They soon discover that superheroes are being abducted, their blood drained and then converted into chemicals that can be sold on the street to give regular people superpowers. But things take an especially dark turn when two teens that Callista mentors buy the formula off the street and immediately die, and Lily, the teen daughter of one of the late members of the legendary superhero group Pack Royal, has gone missing. Now, Moreau must work together with Schaltzmann, Callista, and Monte Carlo to find and stop the villain who's behind these actions.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (3):

This is an above-average superhero movie, satirical at times, disturbing in others. How I Became a Superhero is a mostly playful take on the superhero story, showing a modern-day Paris where superheroes are common and mostly assimilated into society, and are more likely to use their superpowers to get their own television shows and celebrity than solve crime. This part of the story is entertaining and often funny, as it counterbalances the less original and more violent aspects. Some of the parallels to our world can be a bit intense, particularly for more sensitive viewers, such as a scene in which a teen who has purchased flame-throwing superpowers off the street uses them to get even with classmates in what mirrors a school shooting, and a scene in which two at-risk teens buy this "mystery formula" and immediately take it, and instead of getting superpowers after greedily inhaling it, they lose consciousness and die. These and other scenes make the movie grittier than one might expect.

While the story itself has its fair share of originality, some of the tropes are way past the point of exhaustion. For instance, the "loose cannon male cop" paired with the "by-the-book female cop" by the "stressed-out police chief exasperated with the loose cannon cop's antics" needs to be retired. Regardless, it's still an entertaining movie, with the expected hints of a sequel that come across as something to look forward to instead of inducing eyerolling dread.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about superhero action movies like How I Became a Superhero. How does this compare to other superhero action movies you've seen?

  • In what ways does the movie reference real-life occurrences, despite the exaggerated superhero aspects of the story?

  • How are humor and satire used in this movie? What does the movie say about the role of fame in our society?

Movie Details

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