Main cast: Ben Winchell (Maxwell “Max” McGrath), Josh Brener (Steel), Ana Villafañe (Sofia Martinez), Andy García (Dr Miles Edwards), Maria Bello (Molly McGrath), Mike Doyle (Jim McGrath), and Billy Slaughter (Agent Murphy)
Director: Stewart Hendler
Max Steel, I believe, is first and foremost a toy line and later a cartoon series, and this Max Steel is an effort to bring the whole thing to the big screen. I wonder why they didn’t go ahead with a big-time animated feature, because making this movie one with real people and such robs the premise of much campy appeal that could have made it more watchable.
Basically, it’s our this kid, Max McGrath, who is a new kid at school. All the clichés pour fourth: the hot new girl catches his eye, he has angst, his daddy died under mysterious circumstances, oh my god he is special, blah blah blah. The script crams in every freaking done-to-death special kid in high school tropes in here, without bothering to offer any new or somewhat interesting spin on these overdone tropes. As a result, for the most part, this one is just snooze central from start to finish. It doesn’t help that the young people in the lead roles may be pretty, but they generate the chemistry or screen charisma of baked potatoes. I am not sure why Andy Garcia and Maria Bello are in this one, but I suppose the bills just need to be paid.
Oh, and Max can somehow generate and control electricity. Whatever.
Still, there are some mild amusing things to be had here, if one is really that hard up for entertainment. Max’s sidekick is Steel, a robot thing that merges with him to give up a shiny body suit that, like superhero costumes tend to do, bulk up the shoulders and pad up the ass, while the villain shouts that he wants to drain every drop of Max’s power from him. I suppose the ridiculous sets and the ludicrous megalomaniacal villainous cackling can also provide some amusement, but I think people can easily find movies that are more entertaining to watch. Max Steel is a boring, electricity-free movie that lifelessly churns out clichéd moments and not much else.
