Do superheroes start a family later after the battle is won? Remember the ending of the 2005 kids’ classic “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl”? The heroes walk off hand-in-hand as a couple after they defeat Mr. Electric. So what really happens after that? 

On Christmas Day 2020, a new movie surfaced on Netflix. “We Can Be Heroes” is a film by Robert Rodriguez. Best known for “Spy Kids” (2001) and the aforementioned “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl”, Rodriguez has also written and directed many different genres since the 2000s, from violent comedies like “Machete” (2010) to sci-fi epics such as “Alita: Battle Angel” (2019). 

His latest movie creation returns to his family-friendly roots and is about how superheroes get captured by aliens and have to rely on their superpowered children to save their lives. While dodging the curveballs that their mission throws at them, they also have to learn how to work together to defeat the evil extraterrestrial beings. 

Some of the highlights include kids learning how to work together and control their powers, a trope that is typically done in other recent comic book films (“The New Mutants”, “Power Rangers”) without the amount of fun and inventiveness that Rodriguez brings. The next highlight of the movie was that one of the protagonists was able to become a great leader in a truly inspiring and unique way. This makes the movie better because it displays how hard times can bring about some good.

With the upsides, though, there do also come downsides. Throughout the movie, the main characters argue a lot and question each other’s abilities. In some parts of the movie they even doubt their own abilities, which is a convention of superhero movies that has been done so much and it still rarely rings true, considering how amazing their newly found powers are. Unable to control their powers, the stars of the film run into different problems, and while the lesson of overcoming obstacles is important, it’s not nearly as enjoyable as seeing our heroes prevail. 

However, if you are a person who enjoys an inspirational theme while watching a movie that isn’t afraid to be a little goofy and give you nostalgic feelings for long lost characters, this one’s for you. Really, the movie is a well-timed reminder during an ongoing pandemic and a new, troubling era of social injustice that this new generation is ready to take on and change the world with the just right amount of motivation. 

“We Can Be Heroes” may very well prove to be worth your time, despite its fair amount of cliches. If you got attached to the first installment of the trilogy back in 2005, rest assured you can continue to watch the story progress, because yes, a third movie has already been greenlit by Netflix, and the superhero fun will surely continue to follow in the subsequent stories that are sure to follow.