Review of Max Steel (2016) by Thequietgamer — 03 Sep 2017

With two animated TV series already under their belt, Mattel tries their hand at bringing their long-running action figure line into live-action form on the big-screen. Based on the 2013 reimagining series that ran on Disney XD, "Max Steel" is another entry in the ever-growing superhero film market that is currently being dominated by the comic book bigshots Marvel and DC. Max Steel is an admirable attempt at getting another series going, but was ultimately doomed to be DOA due to the fact that it's a more obscure character and clearly just didn't have the flash or history of it's competition. That's not to say it's all bad though. In fact, Max Steel can be quite entertaining. It's just that a reliance on formula holds it back. It's pretty much your standard superhero origin story. You can see bits of Raimi's Spider-Man as Max McGrath plays around with his newly discovered powers, the plot itself is derivative of those two Amazing Spider-Man movies, and the villain feels like he was pulled straight from 2008's Iron Man. It's a hodgepodge of borrowed ideas tied together with the character's own original lore, which I must say is surprisingly well-handled in that you get an answer to all your questions by the end of the film. Further explanation as to the reasoning behind those explanations, like what actually causes Max's weird powers in the first place isn't something the movie gets into. Oh, so he's filled with Tachyon energy. Why? Because aliens? Okay I guess. The writing is just lacking a little something needed to stand up amongst it's very successful peers.

The action scenes in the movie are fine and the characters themselves are pretty likable. Even believable. Particularly Max himself. Ben Winchell does a great job in the lead role. The dialog itself is surprisingly great as well. The interactions between characters feel real right up until some cheesy dialog during the final showdown. It's this kind of stuff that kept me engaged and entertained even though the movie isn't exactly the next great superhero epic. Even Max's personal dramas of loneliness and an absent father are relatable in a way that this year's Power Ranger's movie was. Luckily, this movie is much better in the action department. The humorous dialog from Josh Brener as "Steel" is also much appreciated.

Overall, Max Steel isn't as bad as a lot of movie based on toys have been. It by no means soars to new heights, but can at least prove to be a suitable way to pass the time between the next Marvel and DC film if you really find yourself needing your superhero fix. It should come as no surprise though that the real audience for this movie are the kids who enjoyed the Disney XD show. They'll have a blast watching their once animated hero brought to life in live-action form in his own feature film. Parents and older siblings might even find themselves enjoying it too. So long as they go this knowing it isn't a real standout in any way.