Max Steel (film)

Max Steel (film)
Company type	Film
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2016; 10 years ago
Founder	Mattel Playground Productions, Dolphin Films, Ingenious Media
Headquarters	Wilmington, North Carolina, United States
Products	Superhero film

Max Steel is a 2016 superhero film inspired by the action figure series produced by Mattel. The movie was a collaborative production involving Mattel Playground Productions, Dolphin Films, and Ingenious Media. Its theatrical release in the United States was managed by Open Road Films on October 14, 2016, while IM Global oversaw distribution across Europe and Asia.

Under the direction of Stewart Hendler and scripted by Christopher Yost, the cast includes Ben Winchell, Josh Brener, Ana Villafañe, Andy García, Maria Bello, and Billy Slaughter. The storyline centers on Max McGrath (Winchell), a teenager who teams up with an alien entity named Steel (Brener), merging their abilities to become the superhero known as Max Steel.

Principal photography took place between April and May 2014 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Despite its connection to a well-known franchise, Max Steel was met with largely negative reviews, criticized for its clichéd narrative, underdeveloped characters, acting quality, and special effects. Commercially, the film failed to recoup its $10 million budget, earning only $6.3 million globally.

Plot

Max McGrath, a teenager, relocates with his mother Molly back to Copper Canyon—his hometown and the site where his father Jim reportedly died in a storm. At school, Max discovers that many locals possess more knowledge about Jim than he does, as Molly remains silent about Jim’s history and demise. During a dinner with Miles Edwards—Jim’s former friend and current head of the advanced research firm N-TEK—Max learns that his father had been employed there.

Max soon becomes aware that he generates a rare tachyonic energy called TURBO, which is potent enough to disrupt electrical equipment but remains beyond his control. While out on a date with his classmate Sofia, Max encounters Steel, an alien suffering from amnesia who forms a symbiotic connection with him to absorb this energy. When pursued by unknown assailants, Max conceals Steel at school and begins mastering his powers by combining with Steel to create an armored superhero form.

Through shared memories, Max uncovers that an alien species known as the Ultralinks attacked N-TEK and that Jim was working on a device intended to produce limitless energy. Miles explains that Jim died due to an accident linked to safety oversights. When Max confronts an Ultralink storm, he and Steel manage to defeat it—only to realize the storm resembles Steel himself. A flashback suggests Steel may have been responsible for Jim’s death, causing tension between them.

After discovering Molly has disappeared, Max contacts Miles, who admits that Molly was taken hostage as bait at the old N-TEK facility where Jim died. At this location, Max recalls the truth: Jim was actually an alien capable of naturally generating TURBO; Steel was his partner; and the generator was designed to harness Jim’s energy. Miles became addicted to TURBO’s power and allied himself with the Ultralinks to steal it. To stop Miles, Jim overloaded the generator core and instructed Steel to protect Max.

Miles captures Max using armor that drains TURBO energy for harvesting. As Max Steel, Max fights back with assistance from an N-TEK Special Forces unit now loyal to Molly—the majority shareholder of the company. Together, Max and Steel unleash overwhelming energy that defeats Miles in a massive explosion. Molly reveals she frequently moved them to avoid Ultralink threats until Miles persuaded them to return to Copper Canyon once Max’s powers surfaced. The story concludes with Max reconciling with Sofia and taking flight in his armor alongside Steel.

Cast

Ben Winchell portrays Max McGrath
Maria Bello appears as Molly McGrath
Ana Villafañe plays Sofia Martinez
Josh Brener provides the voice for Steel
Billy Slaughter takes on the role of Agent Murphy
Andy García stars as Dr. Miles "Dread" Edwards

Additionally, Mike Doyle makes a brief appearance as Jim McGrath, Max's father.

Development

The initial effort to create a Max Steel movie began in December 2009, when Paramount Pictures secured the rights. Taylor Lautner was originally considered for the lead role but withdrew due to his involvement with the Stretch Armstrong project. Production was halted in January 2013 as the project shifted toward development as an animated TV series. By August 2013, Mattel collaborated with Dolphin Entertainment to restart work on the film adaptation.

In February 2014, casting announcements revealed Ben Winchell and Ana Villafañe as Max McGrath and Sofia Martinez, respectively. Shortly thereafter, Andy García was confirmed to play Dr. Miles Edwards. In May 2014, Maria Bello and Mike Doyle joined the cast, portraying Max’s parents Molly and Jim McGrath.

Filming

Principal photography commenced on April 29, 2014, in Wilmington, North Carolina, wrapping up on May 31, 2014. The sales agency IM Global secured distribution rights for most European and Asian territories.

Box office

Max Steel generated $3.8 million domestically (United States and Canada) and $2.5 million internationally, accumulating a worldwide total of $6.3 million against a production budget estimated between $5 and $10 million.

Released on October 14, 2016, alongside The Accountant and Kevin Hart: What Now?, it was forecasted to earn between $5 million and $7 million across 2,034 theaters during its opening weekend. However, after earning only $637,795 on its first day, it debuted with $2.2 million and ranked 11th at the box office. In its second weekend, earnings dropped to $680,104 with a placement of 17th, ultimately categorizing it as a box office bomb.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of Template:RT data based on reviews, with an average score of . The critics' consensus reads: "Lacking in character development or engaging action sequences, Max Steel comes across like playing with an action figure devoid of childhood creativity." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 22 out of 100 from seven critics, signifying "generally unfavorable reviews." Audience polling by CinemaScore assigned the film a grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

Alex Welch of IGN rated it 4 out of 10, describing Max Steel as a forgettable and uninspired superhero effort that lacks originality and energy. Joe Leydon from Variety labeled it "a half-hearted and time-wasting introduction to a superhero franchise that will never materialize." Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com awarded it half a star out of four, remarking that the film was unexpectedly dull given its premise centered on the ultimate energy source and should have been more entertaining considering its toy-based origins. Frank Scheck from The Hollywood Reporter commented: "Even younger viewers may find themselves unimpressed by this bland origin story seemingly crafted to promote Christmas toy sales; Max Steel is a failed franchise launch released without prior critic screenings."

Home media

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment made Max Steel available on Digital HD starting January 3, 2017, followed by a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD combo pack release on January 10, 2017.

External links