So a film version of the toy line Max Steel (which I’d never heard of) came out earlier this year and pretty much nobody noticed (I did but it was only at the theaters for a week and I never once saw a trailer). So when it arrived on iTunes, I rented it thinking it’d be a fun terrible movie. Unfortunately, it’s mainly just an unremarkable, unmemorable mediocre movie. I guess the worst I can say is that it’s a bit tonally confused and the ending is rather boring.
Basic premise – a “sixteen year old boy” Max (hint: actor is not 16) moves to New Orleans where the tax breaks on movies are cheaper… I mean where his father died in a mysterious storm years ago. He suddenly starts to sport vaguely-defined super powers and, when Google doesn’t help, he runs into a flying robot eyeball (with bunny ears) named Steel who promises to help him. He does so by powering him up with kung-fu and a corny looking super suit that looks a few notches above a Power Ranger.
Not having any familiarity with the toy, I figured the super suit/power armor was the character but, up until the final twenty minutes, he never really wears it. Even when vaguely-defined aliens from space arrived and started creating storms (because that’s what vaguely-defined aliens do, I guess).
Up until the friendly robot showed, the film was kind of dark and a tad mysterious – ultimately a power fantasy for boys who gain (vaguely-defined) super powers. Then the friendly robot appears and the voice actor must have been told he was in a different movie since his tone is bright and funny/sarcastic. Then the vaguely-defined aliens appear and it turns into a superhero (I guess) movie. Then the conclusion happens and it’s super boring as people fight in these corny super suits (with vaguely defined powers).
This isn’t a very good movie but it’s probably better than it should be, I guess. At least based on the few reviews it got and its dead-to-the-world theatrical release. Based on what I’ve seen of the toy line since I saw this flick, the movie doesn’t look much like it so early 2000s kids would probably be disappointed. This is a pretty mediocre movie but not terrible and I’ve put more thought into than I should.
Score: 66