‘Henry Danger: The Movie’ Will (Mostly) Leave Fans Feeling Good
Image Courtesy of Paramount+
By Luis Zonenberg
Almost five years since we last saw Kid Danger blow bubbles and fight crime, Nickelodeon brings us his long awaited return in the form of Henry Danger: The Movie.
Fans have longed for a movie for nearly ten years and can now rejoice as they watch Jace Norman slip back into the role with ease. With some nice visuals and some returning cast members, the movie is sure to win the hearts of fans both big and small.
In the present, we now see Henry Hart (Jace Norman) fighting crime in the murky island of Dystopia with his best friend, Jasper (Sean Ryan Fox). During one of his usual outings, Henry is suddenly pulled away from the action and is whisked back to Swellview by superfan Missy Martin (Glee Dango), who uses a reality altering device (R.A.D.). It soon short circuits, though, and they find themselves lost in the multiverse, each trying to get back home.
For a Nickelodeon streaming movie, I was impressed with how mature the script was, which helped it feel like these characters have grown with their audience. This is a fairly solid story, definitely pulling from some of the more recent multiverse outings that various superhero franchises have plunged into. I appreciate the twist of how these universes are actually pulled straight from Missy’s imagination and provide a solid anchor for why Henry needs her to get back home.
The cast was very entertaining to watch, with Jace Norman slipping back into character as if it were a pair of old shoes. He, as well as the rest of the returning cast members, are just as funny as ever, but also show through their performances how they’ve matured over the years. The newcomers here also shine in their more comedic moments and add some levity to the overall tension throughout.
I was also impressed by the high budget of this movie, putting The Thundermans Return TV movie to shame. Unlike the latter, this one actually looks cinematic and utilizes its budget to go as big as it can with many of the action set pieces. The camerawork even helps to immerse the audience in the action as much as possible, but is still smart enough to remain still for the more intimate moments.
Despite its merits, there are two major things that hold back this film from being truly great: the pacing and the underutilization of Missy’s character. Despite having a lean 90-minute runtime, it feels more like an hour-long episode padded out to a feature-length runtime. And through it all, I was disappointed with how little Missy left an impact, and wished that the filmmakers had developed her character more before throwing her into the action.
Even though the pacing and Missy’s character left a little to be desired, I still think there is a lot here that will satisfy fans of the hit series. Considering this was a direct-to-streaming film, I was impressed with how much work and effort went into making it; it truly feels like a passion project that just needed a bit more help in the execution. While it can be a bit of a drag, Henry Danger: the Movie has enough Hart and action that is sure to win fans of all ages.
Henry Danger: The Movie is now streaming on Paramount+.
Rating: ★★★ ½ of five
