I am a HUGE fan of the Ben 10 series, and I also consider myself a fairly open-minded viewer. But this movie was just plain AWFUL! I grew up in the generation of kids that sat transfixed by shows like the multi-nauseating Power Ranger franchise, and I have to say, this movie's return to that style of filming was NOT for the better. Their multiple-level diffusion from the shows many aspects of continuity also didn't help.
1) They selected a completely separate realm of voice actors for the aliens, none of which sounded in any manner like the voices we became used to in the cartoon. Would it have been such a hard thing to have requested the same people to voice the aliens in the movie? 2) What the hell was up with the break up of character continuity with Ben's parents? In the series, his dad was an ENGINEER for Christ's sake, who the hell is this hippie-dippy jackass?! And his mother, not that she was ever broached in the series (to my knowledge), jeez could you have made her any less likable? 3) The fight scenes with Eon's endless supply of disposable enemy drones was TERRIBLY CHOREOGRAPHED! Scene shots that center on them leaping through the air in over-dramatized jumping attacks, their grasp of "movie-style jujitsu", the only thing that Power Rangers had that Ben 10 didn't was lame spaghetti-western style impact sounds (biff, whack, thud, zap).
4) Huh . . . nice how they cautiously avoided any of the more popular alien forms.
5) Lee frigging Majors . . . dammit. I like Lee Majors, don't get me wrong, but why the hell would anyone think he would make a passable Grandpa Max Tennyson? Max is supposed to be a paunchy, easy to smile, almost Santa Clause like man (as proved by Mister Jingles). Lee Majors is a grizzled, emotional cut-off. Why not have him played by Adam West or William Shatner, if you wanted an 'Out of work' old man who couldn't act like anything but a worn old action hero? The only reason lee Majors was even used was because of the response that his name would incite, because you don't have to know who Lee Majors is, to have that subliminal "ping" in the back of your head tell you that he's been in TV for eons.
I was so disappointed when I saw this movie; I'd been so excited when they started showing teasers months in advance, but this was one of those movies that was hyped up and couldn't stand under the weight of its director's over-zealous self-promotion.
To the director: Step Down, turn in your megaphone, and the next time you consider taking on the task of bringing an animated series into the real world, try asking someone who isn't a frigging idiot what would make the movie really good. Your kiss-up writers suck. Better to pass on the 'Happy Ending' massage and hire a GOOD writer, and poll your audience to see what they do and do not like about the series.
And just in case I hadn't made myself clear. This movie, DO NOT LIKE!
1) They selected a completely separate realm of voice actors for the aliens, none of which sounded in any manner like the voices we became used to in the cartoon. Would it have been such a hard thing to have requested the same people to voice the aliens in the movie? 2) What the hell was up with the break up of character continuity with Ben's parents? In the series, his dad was an ENGINEER for Christ's sake, who the hell is this hippie-dippy jackass?! And his mother, not that she was ever broached in the series (to my knowledge), jeez could you have made her any less likable? 3) The fight scenes with Eon's endless supply of disposable enemy drones was TERRIBLY CHOREOGRAPHED! Scene shots that center on them leaping through the air in over-dramatized jumping attacks, their grasp of "movie-style jujitsu", the only thing that Power Rangers had that Ben 10 didn't was lame spaghetti-western style impact sounds (biff, whack, thud, zap).
4) Huh . . . nice how they cautiously avoided any of the more popular alien forms.
5) Lee frigging Majors . . . dammit. I like Lee Majors, don't get me wrong, but why the hell would anyone think he would make a passable Grandpa Max Tennyson? Max is supposed to be a paunchy, easy to smile, almost Santa Clause like man (as proved by Mister Jingles). Lee Majors is a grizzled, emotional cut-off. Why not have him played by Adam West or William Shatner, if you wanted an 'Out of work' old man who couldn't act like anything but a worn old action hero? The only reason lee Majors was even used was because of the response that his name would incite, because you don't have to know who Lee Majors is, to have that subliminal "ping" in the back of your head tell you that he's been in TV for eons.
I was so disappointed when I saw this movie; I'd been so excited when they started showing teasers months in advance, but this was one of those movies that was hyped up and couldn't stand under the weight of its director's over-zealous self-promotion.
To the director: Step Down, turn in your megaphone, and the next time you consider taking on the task of bringing an animated series into the real world, try asking someone who isn't a frigging idiot what would make the movie really good. Your kiss-up writers suck. Better to pass on the 'Happy Ending' massage and hire a GOOD writer, and poll your audience to see what they do and do not like about the series.
And just in case I hadn't made myself clear. This movie, DO NOT LIKE!