Parents' Guide to We Can Be Heroes

Movie PG 2020 110 minutes
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Common Sense Media Review

Stephanie Myers By Stephanie Myers , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 8+

Rodriguez' superhero-kid adventure has action, humor.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 8+?

Any Positive Content?

  • We Can Be Heroes Trailer
  • We Can Be Heroes Movie: Scene #1
  • We Can Be Heroes Movie: Scene #2
  • We Can Be Heroes Movie: Scene #3
  • We Can Be Heroes Movie: Scene #4

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 23 parent reviews

 

 

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age 6+

Based on 77 kid reviews

Kids say the movie is a mixed bag, with many praising it as a fun, entertaining flick for younger audiences, while others criticize its plot, acting, and visual effects. Although some enjoy the humor and positive messages aimed at children, numerous reviewers find it cringeworthy and disappointing, particularly those who were fans of its predecessors.

  • mixed audience reactions
  • fun for kids
  • poor plot execution
  • cringeworthy dialogue
  • better for younger kids
  • disappointing for older viewers
Summarized with AI
 

 

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What's the Story?

WE CAN BE HEROES centers on Missy (Yaya Gosselin), a young preteen without powers who lives with her retired superhero dad, Marcus (Pedro Pascal). When aliens come to the planet seemingly to destroy it, the head of the Heroic Central Agency (Priyanka Chopra), calls on all superheroes to fight the threat. This means that Marcus, former leader of the Heroics, must come out of retirement to join the fight, so Missy is taken to Heroic Central headquarters for protection. There she meets the rest of the superhero children (including the daughter of Sharkboy and Lavagirl) and learns that they all have pretty impressive powers: rewinding time, fast-forwarding time, super singing, control of liquid, elasticity, super strength. After the children's parents are defeated and taken back to the alien mothership and the kids learn that the aliens will be coming after them, Missy devises a plan for them all to escape ... and then the adventure really begins. Missy and the others must learn to work together, control their powers, and avoid capture by aliens in order to save their parents and Earth before time runs out.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 23 ):
Kids say ( 77 ):

This follow-up to Robert Rodriguez' other superhero-kid movies is surprisingly fun and entertaining for the whole family. Normally, sequels aren't as good as the original, but We Can Be Heroes is much better than its direct predecessor, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. This film's storyline -- and quality -- is more akin to Spy Kids. While some of the acting can be a bit over the top, kids will very much enjoy the movie's adventure aspect, as well as all the different superpowers on display. And parents are likely to find themselves chuckling, too.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how, in We Can Be Heroes, the adult superheroes are constantly bickering and arguing. What did the children do differently when faced with challenges? Did they do a better job working as a team? How can adults sometimes learn from children?

  • All of the kids except Missy have superpowers. How did she cope when faced with challenges and not having powers? How do you think you'd react in similar situations?

  • How do the characters demonstrate courage? Why is that an important character strength?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

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