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Max Steel (film)

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Max Steel
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStewart Hendler
Written byChristopher L. Yost
Starring
CinematographyBrett Pawlak
Edited byMichael Louis Hill
Music byNathan Lanier
Distributed byOpen Road Films
Release date
  • October 14, 2016 (2016-10-14)
Running time
92 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10.4 million[2]
Box office$4.4 million[1]

Max Steel is a 2016 American science fiction action superhero film directed by Stewart Hendler, written by Christopher Yost,[3] and stars Ben Winchell, Josh Brener, Ana Villafañe, Andy García, Maria Bello and Billy Slaughter. Based on the eponymous toy line by Mattel, the film chronicles the adventures of teenage Max McGrath (Winchell) and alien companion Steel (Brener), who harness and combine their tremendous powers to evolve into the turbo charged superhero Max Steel.

Filming began on April 29, 2014, in Wilmington, North Carolina and wrapped in late-May 2014. Dolphin Films, Mattel Entertainment, and Playground Productions co-produce.[4] The film was released in the United States on October 14, 2016, by Open Road Films[5] and was a critical and commercial failure.

Plot

Max Steel is an in-depth "origin" story. The plot chronicles the adventures of teenage Max McGrath and alien companion Steel, who are symbiotically bonded and utilize a unique form of esoteric energy to become the turbo-charged superhero Max Steel. As these two unlikely friends struggle to accept their oddly connected fates, they begin to uncover unimaginable secrets, working together to find the truth, and fighting the mysterious forces threatening their world.

Cast

Production

Development

An early attempt to create a Max Steel film occurred in 2009 when Paramount Pictures purchased the rights to the franchise.[11] Taylor Lautner was an early choice for the starring role, although he would later drop out due to commitment to the Stretch Armstrong film [12] The revival of Max Steel as a television show in 2013 ceased the film's production.[13] In August 2013, plans for a new film resumed with Mattel partnering with Dolphin Entertainment to fund the film.[3]

In February 2014, Ben Winchell was officialy cast as Max McGrath and Ana Villafañe was cast as Sofia Martinez.[6] In April 2014, Billy Slaughter was cast as Agent Murphy.[10] That month, the press officially confirmed Andy García's casting as Dr. Miles Edwards.[7] In May 2014, Maria Bello was officially confirmed to join the cast as Molly McGrath, Max's resilient single mother.[8] That same month, Mike Doyle was cast as Max's father Jim McGrath.[9]

Filming

Principal photography commenced on April 29, 2014, in Wilmington, North Carolina,[8][14] and ended on May 31, 2014.[15]

Reception

Box office

Max Steel opened on October 14, 2016, alongside The Accountant and Kevin Hart: What Now?, and was expected to gross $5–7 million from 2,034 theaters in its opening weekend.[16] After grossing just $637,795 on its first day the film went on to open to $2.2 million, finishing 11th at the box office.[17] In its second weekend the film grossed $680,104 (a drop of 68.8%, the 107th worst all-time), finishing 17th at the box office.[18]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 0%, based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 2.4/10.[19] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score 22 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[20] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[21]

IGN critic Alex Welch gave the film a score of 4 out of 10, summarizing his review with: "Max Steel is one of the more forgettable and pointless attempts at a superhero franchise in the current post-MCU Hollywood market, lacking any of the originality or vibrance that could give it even a remote shot at a successful future."[22] Variety's Joe Leydon gave a negative review, describing it as: "A half-baked, time-wasting curtain-raiser for a superhero franchise that is never, ever going to happen."[23] Christy Lemire for RogerEbert.com gave half a star out of 4, writing: "For a movie about developing the greatest energy source in the universe, Max Steel is surprisingly bland, and it comes limping quietly into theaters without being shown to critics before opening day." She said, "[A] movie based on a toy should be a whole lot more fun than this."[24] The Hollywood Reporter critic Frank Scheck gave an unfavorable review, writing: "Even tweens may find themselves underwhelmed by the new live-action film based on what — for many of them — may be their favorite Mattel action figure. Delivering a bland cinematic origin story which seems calculated to boost Christmas toy sales, Max Steel is a stillborn, would-be franchise starter, sneaked into multiplexes without advance critic screenings."[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Max Steel (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  2. ^ Dolphin Entertainment website http://www.dolphinentertainment.com
  3. ^ a b Kit, Borys (August 2, 2013). "'Max Steel' Back in Action at Dolphin Entertainment". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  4. ^ Graser, Marc (November 5, 2013). "Mattel's Bold Plan to Take Control Back From Hollywood". Variety. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  5. ^ Polowy, Kevin (August 31, 2016). "'Max Steel' Exclusive: Watch the First U.S. Trailer for Long-Awaited Action Movie (Plus a Director Q&A)". Yahoo Movies. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Roxborough, Scott (February 5, 2014). "Ben Winchell, Ana Villafane Join 'Max Steel'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Andy Garcia Joins 'Max Steel'". deadline.com. April 29, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c Sneider, Jeff (May 13, 2014). "Maria Bello Joins Andy Garcia in Young Superhero Movie 'Max Steel'". thewrap.com. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (May 20, 2014). "'Jersey Boys' Actor Joins Open Road's 'Max Steel'". variety.com. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  10. ^ a b "Max Steel adds Billy Slaughter to cast". wilmywoodnc.com. April 23, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  11. ^ Graser, Marc (July 12, 2009). "Paramount toys with 'Max Steel' pic". variety.com. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  12. ^ Finke, Nikki (December 4, 2009). "Taylor Lautner To Be Paramount's Next Big Action Star". deadline.com. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  13. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (January 28, 2013). "Mattel Rebooting 'Max Steel' Property With New Animated TV Series". deadline.com. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  14. ^ Christine (April 22, 2014). "'Max Steel' begins filming in Wilmington, NC". onlocationvacations.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  15. ^ "'Max Steel' wraps local production this weekend". StarNewsOnline.com. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  16. ^ "Ben Affleck's 'The Accountant' is expected to unseat 'Girl On the Train' in slow box office weekend". Los Angeles Times.
  17. ^ "'The Accountant' Calculates $24.7M Opening; 'Max Steel' Rusts". Deadline.com.
  18. ^ Anthony D'Alessandro (October 23, 2016). "'Madea' To Push Well Past $27M As 'Jack Reacher' Takes $22M to $23M; 'Joneses' Can't Keep Up – Sun. AM Update". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 23, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  19. ^ "Max Steel (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  20. ^ "Max Steel reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  21. ^ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.
  22. ^ Welch, Alex (October 14, 2016). "Max Steel Review — A meandering and lifeless superhero origin story". IGN. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  23. ^ Leydon, Joe (October 14, 2016). "Film Review: 'Max Steel'". Variety. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  24. ^ Lemire, Christy (October 14, 2016). "Max Steel Movie Review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  25. ^ Scheck, Frank (October 14, 2016). "'Max Steel': Film Review — This teenage superhero movie recounts the origin tale of the character based on the Mattel action figure". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
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