Who doesn’t love a ROBERT RODRIGUEZ film? From The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl to Machete to Sin City to Spy Kids, Rodriguez has created worlds into which generations can immerse themselves. But out of these worlds, the ones in which Rodriguez has devoted the most time are those worlds in which family is at the forefront, both in front of and behind the lens, and most particularly his latest film – WE CAN BE HEROES. Some may find it surprising that a filmmaker known for darker extreme violence such as that found in Machete or Grindhouse is perhaps better or best known for turning kids into super-spies saving the world, creating stories that are fun and adventurous, tapping into the neon Crayola box with eye-popping visuals and imagination.
One of Rodriguez’ most popular films, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, exploded onto screens in 2005 with a then unknown Taylor Lautner, following the successful debut of two Spy Kids films, and a vampire flick with George Clooney, From Dusk Till Dawn. Now 25 years later, and many films in-between (not to mention an episode of The Mandalorian), Rodriguez revisits Sharkboy and Lavagirl, but from a whole new perspective – that of their kids.
The world has been kept safe all these years by Sharkboy and Lavagirl along with their fellow superheroes – Marcus Moreno (Pedro Pascal), Tech-No (Christian Slater), Miracle Guy (Boyd Holbrook), Crimson Legend (J. Quinton Johnson), Red Lightning Fury (Brittany Perry-Russell), Invisi Girl (Jamie Perez), Ms. Vox (Haley Reinhart), Blinding Fast (Sung Kang), Sharkboy (JJ Dashnaw). Returning in the role she created, Lavagirl, is Taylor Dooley. All are now parents to equally heroic kids with superpowers, that is all except Marcus Moreno whose daughter Missy is just an average everyday kid.
But what happens when aliens invade the Earth and capture all of the Heroes leaving their children alone and unprotected? The first thing you do is have all the kids taken to a government lockdown where their safety and schooling is being overseen by Mr. Granada. Keeping the kids in the dark about the fate of their parents, when they do learn what has happened, MIssy, the only non-superpowered kid, determines to rescue her dad. It doesn’t take much to convince the others to join her, but it’s going to take alot of teamwork and alot of superpowers to get the job done. As Missy, Guppy, Noodles, Wheels, Ojo, A Capella, Slo-Mo, Facemarker, Rewind, Fast Forward, and Wild Card pool their individual talents, the question then becomes, are the kids up to the task of becoming full-fledged heroes?
WE CAN BE HEROES is the best family film of the year! It’s for all age groups. There’s something for everyone. And it’s not only fun, but fun to look at visually thanks to eye-popping colorful high polished visuals which Rodriguez just enhances and intensifies with each new film. There’s action; plenty of action. You’ve got adventure. And you’ve got fun, fun, fun, from beginning to end. And if that’s not enough, Rodriguez develops and delivers powerful themes, pushing this story to the next level, so that kids (and even some adults) watching are learning about physics, friendship, the importance of physical education, education, stimulating your mind, listening to your elders, and so much more. This is the whole package.
And what makes WE CAN BE HEROES the ultimate family film is the heart behind it as the “family” onscreen comes from the Rodriguez family working behind the screen. From Rodriguez drawing on his own relationship with his daughter in creating the character of Missy and adding some of their own father-daughter antics to the onscreen dynamic of Missy and Marcus, to his son composing on-the-spot score for the film, to his daughter drawing the images which Ojo sees, Rodrigues shows us that it takes a family to make a family and a family film.
It’s been a few years since I had a chance to speak with ROBERT RODRIGUEZ, but if there was ever a time to finally catch up and chat, it’s talking about WE CAN BE HEROES. You can hear the passion and the joy as Rodriguez talks about the film, especially when talking about how his own kids influenced and were a part of the making of this film.
Take a listen to this exclusive conversation with ROBERT RODRIGUEZ as we go in-depth on the making of WE CAN BE HEROES talking about:
- the genesis of the story
- developing his new relationship with Netflix
- drawing on his own parenting
- inclusivity, diversity, and representation
- tapping into imagination
- identifiable characters
- the importance of music
- a family affair
Hey Netflix? Where’s our sequel!
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 12/06/2020
