“Humanity was given a gift from the stars…and your dad took it for himself.”
While hanging out after school, Charlie (Walker Scobell) and friends discover the secret headquarters of the world's most powerful superhero, The Guard. The only trouble is that the headquarters are hidden beneath Charlie's dad's home. Mr. Kincaid (Owen Wilson) is a mild-mannered IT expert, divorced from Charlie's mom, and seemingly always away on a business trip or work conference. Could he actually be The Guard this whole time?
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Secret Headquarters takes a page from Iron Man and unabashedly copies the comic book trope to a tee. The Guard is revealed to be Owen Wilson in the film's first scene, equipped with an origin story and everything that typically goes into a comic book movie. While camping with his family, Kincaid discovers a light source from another planet that gives him superpowers beyond anything humans have ever witnessed before, except that Jesse Williams' Air Force Captain character witnesses Kincaid's transformation firsthand. The two now have a shared history that will set up an epic battle ten years later.
Michael Pena enters the picture in the present day as the CEO of Argon Tactical, a failing weapons company. He teams up with Jesse Williams to form a team of rival villains in search of The Guard and his technology. After Charlie and his tiny Avengers' antics tip off the bad guys to the location of The Guard's secret headquarters, they must team up to defend the sci-fi man cave and save the world.
Secret Headquarters is an homage to True Lies if Arnold was Owen Wilson with superpowers. Otherworldly technology is key to the entertainment found in this film, as Wilson does his best to showcase a B-list Iron Man. There is a lot of family fun mixed with a bit of killing and blood. The movie primarily focuses on the kids and their perspective of the events unfolding around them rather than on Owen Wilson and his fight with the villains. This choice by directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Paranormal Activity franchise) makes for a silly screenplay that's both congenial and action-packed.
The movie is rated PG but it's a bit more violent than most PG-rated flicks. Don't expect too much, and bring the family to enjoy some humor and excitement.
On Paramount+ August 12th!
Ticket Rating: 🎟🎟🎟1/2
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