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Parents' Guide to

Secret Headquarters

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Tween superhero adventure has sci-fi weapons, violence.

Movie PG 2022 89 minutes
Secret Headquarters Movie Poster

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 8 parent reviews

Michelle H.
Michelle H. Parent of 13 and 13-year-old
August 12, 2022
age 12+

Great family movie for the tween crowd!

This was a great movie. It has a fair amount of violence so if your children are sensitive be aware of that. No sexual content other than two of the girls having crushes on two of the boys, but it was a small part of the story line and very tame. There was also a long first awkward kiss at the very end of the movie between two of the kids. Insults were pretty tame and there was no profanity at all. This was an enjoyable family movie. Had a great message about friendship and teamwork and protecting the greater good. We have been waiting for a decent movie to come out for a while as everything lately has been iffy content and unnecessary profanity. This was a refreshing change.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
5 people found this helpful.
Nm20
Nm20 Parent of 12-year-old
November 20, 2022
age 12+

Too violent to be PG

Although this is rated PG, it was much more violent and gun-heavy than what I would consider appropriate for PG. There's a man whose face is burned in the movie.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Secret Headquarters opens with husband/father Jack Kincaid (Owen Wilson) witnessing what turns out to be a UFO crashing. The UFO was being tracked by a military officer (Jesse Williams), who's there watching when the mysterious object bestows Jack with supernatural abilities. Ten years later, Jack's 13-year-old son, Charlie (Walker Scobell), lives primarily with his mom (Jessie Mueller). When Jack unexpectedly has to bail on a weekend with him, Charlie invites three friends -- best pal Berger (Keith L. Williams), classmate Lizzie (Abby James Witherspoon), and crush Maya (Momona Tamada) -- over to his dad's instead of going back to his mom's as expected. During their hangout, the four teens discover a secret elevator that leads to an underground lair that's filled with high-tech gadgets and super suits. They quickly realize that Jack is the peace-keeping, globe-trotting superhero known as The Guard. The teens have fun playing with the gizmos and misguidedly use them (including illegally driving a souped-up Volkwsagen bus) above ground and at school, which catches the attention of a defense contractor CEO named Ansel Argon (Michael Peña) and his mercenaries. They pose a serious threat to the kids' lives as they track down The Guard's hideout and power source.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8 ):
Kids say (7 ):

This fun, tween-friendly superhero adventure centers on the hero's son and his clever friends, who use all their resources to stand up to corporate bullies. Co-directors/writers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman show how the young teens would realistically use The Guard's gadgets to get ahead at school and in sports before having to make more mature decisions about how to defeat the nefarious Argon and his trained assassins/security detail. The violence swings between comical (there are shades of Home Alone as the kids use accessories to trip up the baddies) and occasionally surprisingly peril (overt death threats against the kids). This being a family-targeted film, no lasting (physical) harm comes to the teens, but the hostage-taking scenes and "get rid of them" threats might prove upsetting for young or sensitive-to-weapons kids. On the bright side, Peña is funny as the villain. His mercenaries -- with stern expressions and perpetually pointed weapons -- are the real menaces.

Scobell, who has been tapped to play Percy Jackson for the TV series reboot, is ideally cast as a believable middle schooler with an adorable crush and a loyal set of besties. The two girls talk about much more than boys and have surprisingly adept skills, given the circumstances (Maya knows tactics and weaponry; Lizzie is a computer science and math whiz). Williams is a sweet softie as Charlie's BFF, and Kezii Curtis has a memorable supporting role as Berger's driving, INXS-loving older brother "Big Mac" ("Never Tear Us Apart" pops up a couple of times). For all of its silliness, the movie also provides underlying messages about the value of honest parent-kid communication, teamwork, and using your talents -- with or without super gadgets.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in Secret Headquarters. How does it compare to the amount of violence in other superhero movies? Do different types of violence have a different impact?

  • What character strengths do Charlie and his friends demonstrate? Why are courage, perseverance, and teamwork important personality traits to see in movies and TV series?

  • How does the movie portray children with divorced parents? Is the way that Charlie's parents communicate and share their parenting duties relatable and realistic?

  • What do the teen characters learn about friendship and duty over the course of the movie? What does Jack learn about the importance of honesty and communication?

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