YMMV / We Can Be Heroes (2020)

• Aluminum Christmas Trees: Acoustic levitation is a real-life phenomenon that uses soundwaves to counteract gravitational force. However, the effect utilizes supersonic frequencies ("high-pitched") rather than low-pitched waves. This is possibly to avoid agitated dogs from attacking the children whenever she uses it.
• Angst? What Angst?: Except for Missy, Guppy and Slo-Mo, none of the other kids show much concern after seeing their parents get captured by aliens. Although it is later revealed that they were never in any actual danger, it is still somewhat jarring that when they arrive at Anita's house, all the kids are so calm about their parents' situation.
• Friendly Fandoms:
  • The movie appealed to some The Mandalorian fans for providing another Direct to Video sci-fi story in which Pedro Pascal plays a tough yet bumbling and loving single father. Netflix helped rope them in by posting the full trailer on the same day that Disney+ dropped Chapter 14 of The Mandalorian, which Robert Rodriguez also directed, and by moving the movie's release date to one week after Disney+ dropped the Mando Season 2 finale.
  • Despite Netflix's apparent efforts to ignite a duel with Wonder Woman 1984, many viewers were delighted to have two superhero movies with Pedro Pascal as an imperfect, but well-intentioned, single father, especially after YaYa Gosselin credited the first Wonder Woman (2017) for empowering her.
• Heartwarming Moments: To many, the fact that childhood sweethearts Sharkboy and Lavagirl are not only happily married, but have a daughter they adore, warms the heart.
• Just Here for Godzilla:
  • Hype for this movie among adult audiences was nonexistent until Rodriguez announced the return of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.
  • Fans of Pedro Pascal, especially those of his performance as the Mandalorian, were immediately hooked upon learning he would be playing a superhero dad who Fights Like a Normal.
• Magnificent Bastard: Ojo is the leader of an alien race that is looking to raise the next generation of superheroes. To accomplish this, she has her minions infiltrate and take over the U.S. government in order to train the children of the beloved Heroics within the shadows. Seeking to put them through one final test of strength and wits, she stages an attack on a nearby city and lures the Heroics out, only to then capture them while their children watched, meanwhile Ojo herself plays the role of an innocent child who has the ability to predict the future using her tablet. In the final act of the movie, once her bravado is supposedly revealed, she sends several monstrous drawings after the heroes in order to see if they had what it takes. In the end, once the children of the Heroics have proven themselves strong enough, she reveals the truth behind her actions, releases their parents from imprisonment, and has them promise that they can protect the galaxy going forward.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • SHARKBOY AND LAVAGIRL FUCKED^explanation When it was announced that the duo would return in this film as grown-ups with a daughter together, many fans were surprised, to say the least.
  • The new season of Narcos isn't what I expected.^explanation The actors behind Marcus Moreno and Miracle Guy both co-starred in the first two seasons of Netflix's Narcos, prompting their fans to act as if the show underwent a Genre Shift from a Criminal Procedural on the War on Drugs to children's science fiction.
  • We have a new Star-Lord!^explanation An early publicity still Entertainment Weekly shared of Marcus Moreno made him look surprisingly similar to Chris Pratt, resulting in tongue-in-cheek suggestions for Pedro Pascal to replace Pratt in future Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.
• Moe: Guppy is an absolute cutie pie. It’s hard to watch her Badass Adorable scenes without going “awwww.”
• Older Than They Think: Netflix dropping this movie three weeks after Disney+ released The Mandalorian Chapter 14 prompted some to refer to it as a reunion between Robert Rodriguez and Pedro Pascal. However, the two finished filming We Can Be Heroes before reuniting for The Mandalorian. Rodriguez didn't even realize the show would bring them back together until Pascal surprised him on set.
• Periphery Demographic: The film has managed to attract a number of fans older than the target demographic, for two major reasons: one, many of them grew up with The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl and were happy to see the characters appear in another film, even if they only had minor roles. Two, the prospect of watching sex icon Pedro Pascal kick ass in black leather and work with Boyd Holbrook for the first time since the second Narcos season drew in plenty of Pascal's fans.
• Retroactive Recognition: Hey, wait a minute, that's little Princess Leia playing Guppy!
• Surprisingly Improved Sequel: The movie fared much better among critics than The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl did 15 years earlier, to the extent of becoming the Rodriguez father-son duo's first movie to earn a Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Sharkboy being a Fake Shemp wearing a mask and having no lines for the entire movie. Considering Taylor Lautner was unavailable to return, this treatment makes sense, but it still disappointed many fans.

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