Secret Headquarters – Film Review

While hanging out after school, Charlie and his friends discover the headquarters of the world’s most powerful superhero hidden beneath his home. When villains attack, they must team up to defend the headquarters and save the world.

Don’t you just miss seeing Owen Wilson in a silly movie? No? Just me? Well, I was extremely glad that I got to see him back in all of his glory in Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman‘s Secret Headquarters – an outrageously silly, highly implausible yet ridiculously charming, fun, and entertaining family film that will surely impress all the youngsters out there with enough good stuff to entertain the adults, as well.

First things first, if you absolutely hate Spy Kids or Sharkboy and Lavagirl, then you’re going to loathe watching Secret Headquarters, since it borrows from those films quite a bit. Even the stylistic choices are reminiscent of them both. It was honestly kind of nice to watch a goofy family flick that wasn’t concerned on being anything more than that – it was just a bunch of nonsensical goofy fun with a beating heart at its core.

The filmmakers and screenwriters understood that this wasn’t going to be an Oscar movie. Not even close. But they definitely wanted to craft a film that’s charming and fun to win the kids over and they make exactly that kind of film. The script, while a bit messy at times (which makes sense seeing as how it was written by four different people), is incredibly witty and has a real sense of adventure to it. It’s kind of like The Goonies in that, in this film, these kids make an insane discovery that blows their mind and brings them all closer together.

It’s nice to see this kind of childlike wonder in a film again because it seems like a lost art form. Walker Scobell is fantastic in the lead role of Charlie Kincaid, a young boy who just wants to have a good relationship with his dad, Jack, who is always busy with work. The emotional undercurrent of the film is superb and once things get explored deeper later on, it’s hard not to feel the emotions.

Owen Wilson is beautifully wacky just as always here, as is Michael Peña in a surprising role. Was the casting in this movie a bit silly? Yes. But I, for one, loved seeing Owen Wilson get into a fight with Michael Peña. This movie is exactly the kind of movie you should throw on with your kids on a movie night and just have a blast sitting back, relaxing, and sharing a laugh. Kids will enjoy it the most, but adults will get a shocking amount of entertainment value out of it as well.

Secret Headquarters is an outrageously silly and nonsensical adventure and it’s all the better for it. Owen Wilson is delightfully goofy in a film that has a surprisingly huge heart.