Secret Headquarters works best when Owen Wilson is a dad, not a superhero

polygon.com:

Movies like Spy Kids and Catch That Kid, which put kids at the center of big blockbuster-esque plots, have a difficult task. It’s hard for a movie to simultaneously appeal to kids and to an adult audience — harder than it might appear. Lean too much into the kid adventure without adding enough substance, and the movie just becomes something adults put on in the background. Lean too much into the adult stuff, however, and the movie risks being out of touch with the intended audience. Paramount Plus’ superhero adventure Secret Headquarters is the latest film to fall into this specific category of pleasing both kids and adults.

For the most part, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (whose work together includes Catfish and Paranormal Activity 3 and 4) manage to create a worthy addition to the kid-friendly movie genre. While the visuals could pop more, and the plot occasionally slows down as the adults face off against each other, the heart of Secret Headquarters remains with its kid heroes and its central family relationship.

[Ed. note: This review contains slight setup spoilers for Secret Headquarters.]

Secret Headquarters kicks off with ordinary dad Jack Kincaid (Owen Wilson) stumbling across an extraterrestrial energy source, which immediately bonds with him. Ten years later, Jack protects the Earth as a mysterious superhero known as the Guard, but Jack has become estranged from his family. He and his wife have divorced, and he only sees his son, Charlie (Walker Scobell), during custody visits — which he frequently cancels when superhero-related business comes up. Charlie, though, is the Guard’s biggest fan. After a “work emergency” calls Jack away for a couple of days, Charlie decides not to call his mom to pick