Max Steel (2016)

Summary

Max Steel is a science fiction action film based on the Mattel action figure line. It serves as an origin story for the titular hero. Max McGrath (Ben Winchell) is a rebellious teenager who moves to a new town with his mother, Molly (Maria Bello), following the death of his scientist father, Jim McGrath. Max soon discovers he possesses an unusual power: the ability to generate powerful, unstable energy, called T.U.R.B.O. energy. He quickly encounters Steel (voiced by Josh Brener), a small, highly advanced techno-organic alien life form that can help Max contain and control his volatile energy. When Max and Steel merge, they form the powerful superhero Max Steel, learning to work together to uncover the mystery of Max’s powers and his father’s past, while fighting a powerful external threat.

Plot

The movie starts with Max moving to Copper Canyon, the place where his father, Jim McGrath, died in a mysterious lab accident years prior. Max struggles to fit in and is frustrated by the strange energy bursts he experiences, which he cannot control.

He is soon contacted by Steel, a small, floating alien machine. Steel explains that Max's energy bursts are dangerous T.U.R.B.O. energy, which he produces naturally, and that Steel’s purpose is to stabilize and regulate this energy. When they bond, they gain a high-tech suit and incredible abilities, becoming Max Steel.

Max is introduced to Dr. Miles Dread (Andy Garcia), Jim McGrath's former partner and head of the shadowy scientific organization N-Tek, which was created to study the same energy Max generates. Dread informs Max that T.U.R.B.O. energy is a powerful, cosmic element that could save the world, or destroy it if it falls into the wrong hands.

The main plot reveals that Miles Dread is the true villain. He has been manipulating events to drain Max’s T.U.R.B.O. energy to power a doomsday device, as he himself is unable to generate the energy naturally. The truth about Max’s father is also revealed: Jim McGrath did not die in an accident, but sacrificed himself to save Max and humanity from Miles Dread’s initial attempts to steal the T.U.R.B.O. energy. In the final confrontation, Max and Steel fully synchronize and defeat Dread, saving N-Tek and the world, and embracing their role as the hero Max Steel.

Cast

Crew

• Director: Stewart Hendler

• Screenplay: Christopher Yost

• Producers: Julia Pistor, Paul N. Gertz

• Music Composer: Nathan Whitehead

• Cinematography: Martin Ahlgren

• Editor: Michael L. Sale

• Production Company: Dolphin Films, Mattel Playground Productions

Release Info

• Release Year: 2016

• Release Date: October 14, 2016 (United States)

• Running Time: 92 minutes

• Language: English

• Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure