Young Ben Tennyson has been a mainstay of the Cartoon Network since 2005 when Ben 10 premiered. The series, from the writer collective called Man of Action, was about a ten-year-old boy who was inadvertently joined with the Omnitrix, an extraterrestrial device that allowed him to transform into various alien life forms and do heroic battle against dangerous foes. The original ran for three years and spawned a franchise that includes Ben 10: Alien Force (2008-2010), Ben 10: UItimate Alien (2010-2012), and Ben 10: Omniverse (2012-2014), which together took Tennyson into his teens, and the current Ben 10 (2016-present), a reboot that returns him to age ten.
The franchise also includes feature-length movies, some animated and others live-action; this is the fifth. In it, the Ben of the latest series (voiced by Tara Strong), bored by the repetitiveness of the challenges he faces, is excited to go into space to deal with a meteorite on a crash course with earth. The mission turns out to be a trap sprung by a race of aliens who believe that Ben is actually Vilgax (Yuri Lowenthal), his longtime nemesis, in disguise, and send him to the dreaded Null Void prison colony. There he meets Azmuth (David Kaye), the grumpy inventor of the Omnitrix, who requires that he undergo a test to prove his fitness to keep the device, and also explains why Vilgax is so determined to claim it for himself.
Meanwhile, Vilgax has landed on earth, and Ben’s Grandpa Max (Kaye again) and cousin Gwen (Montserrat Hernandez), aided by their scientist ally Phil (John DiMaggio), enlist Kevin Levin (Greg Cipes), the surly pre-teen who, armed with his so-called Antitrix, considers himself Ben’s equal, to do battle with him in Ben’s absence. Of course, Ben eventually escapes the Null Void and manages to return to earth, joining forces with Kevin, Gwen, Max, and Phil to save the day.
As is usual in the Ben 10 series, the movie offers plenty of fast-paced action as the pint-sized hero transforms from alien to alien in quick succession but lightens the mood with plenty of humor, much of it arising from Ben’s childish exuberance, while delivering messages about learning a sense of responsibility and the value of teamwork. It will appeal especially to fans of the current reboot, who will appreciate its expansion of the show’s mythology but can also serve as a nostalgia trip for those brought up on the earlier entries in the series.
Extras include seven “animatics” or semi-animated storyboards (8 min.) and an image gallery. A strong optional purchase.