With superhero flicks being all the rage these days I am surprised there haven’t been more random ones trying to capatilize. While not many outside the realm of the big properties, there are a few that creep in from time to time with the latest being Max Steel based on the animated series of the same name starring Ben Winchell, Josh Brener, Maria Bello, and Andy Garcia. Could this film offer up something to help it stand out and create that next big franchise or will it struggle to find its power to save the series?

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Max Steel follows teenager Max McGrath who discovers his body can generate the universe's most powerful energy, he must bond with the only being able to contain it - a mysterious techno-organic extraterrestrial named Steel. United as the superhero Max Steel, the two friends must combat an alien menace and unlock the secrets of their past. This movie had potential to really deliver some fun with a vibe blending the Power Rangers and Guyver, but never fully offers up really anything. Sure it’s an origin story so it takes time to build up the story and develop the character before the big reveal, but that is the biggest issue we get hardly any of the full Max Steel character. He struggles and does all the typical elements as he starts to understand his new found powers and early on we get a really great look at Steel, but then it is gone almost just as quick and then rarely seen again outside of a couple quick moments.

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Part of what makes a film like this work is seeing the hero use the new powers and be awesome, but here it seems like they just didn’t want to use him in his full armor which was the coolest part of the film. The cast all do a decent job with what they have to work with, but sadly it is pretty generic and forgettable. I was hoping this film would be a lot of fun with some great action that stood out as something fresh and new, but instead just felt like another clichéd flick that failed to impress.