Max Steel

After the success of the Transformers franchise based on Hasbro's toy line, it comes as no surprise that Mattel should try to make hay with a movie based on its own action figure—a teen who melds with a little alien creature to become an Iron-Man style superhero. But this chintzy introduction to Max Steel will likely spawn no sequel. The movie is essentially a standard-issue origin episode in which Max McGrath (Ben Winchell) returns with his mother (Maria Bello) to his hometown, where his scientist father was killed in an industrial accident 16 years earlier. Soon, Max begins emitting streams of liquid energy from his hands and the alien called Steel (an animated flying ball) appears, promising to consume the bolts that the boy produces before he explodes. Steel also warns Max that they will have to bond in order to fight huge aliens who are capable of producing destructive tornados. Further wrinkles arrive with the appearance of Max's father's erstwhile partner (Andy Garcia), who is the head of a research company designed to continue their cutting-edge research, and Max finds incipient romance with a pretty, spunky classmate (Ana Villafañe). Crammed with mediocre special effects and murky action sequences, Max Steel is not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Finding Max” (4 min.), “Imagining Steel” (4 min.), “Building the Suits” (3 min.), and “Behind the Stunts” (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for a forgettable superhero flick.] (F. Swietek)