I am definitely far older than the average age demography of fans for the 'Ben 10' fandom but I do enjoy watching a kiddie flick on occasion. These films serve as good background noise if I'm also reading or on the computer and often have plots that don't require much investment and, as such, can be relaxing. 'Ben 10: Race Against Time' certainly qualifies as one such film that fits the profile. This film centres around twelve-year-old Ben Tennyson, who has the ability to turn into various alien forms for up to ten minutes at a time with the aid of his Omnitrix. After a summer of fighting aliens and saving the planet alongside his grandfather Max and his twelve-year-old cousin Gwen, Ben is now struggling with the normality of school. However, it seems the excitement is not over when a mysterious villain stalks Ben and is intent on possessing the Omnitrix for himself.
I am not in the least familiar with 'Ben 10' so cannot really comment on how faithful this live-action film is to cartoon show and only on what I saw as an unbiased source! In terms of the actors, I thought Graham Phillips and Haley Ramm did a reasonable job in their respective roles as Ben and Gwen, depicting the characters in a realistic age-appropriate manner (although if Ben and Gwen meant to be only ten then they were a shade too old). Ben was prone to showing off, could be moody yet was brave and determined to protect those around him while Gwen was slightly more mature and equally as loyal but could be impatient and snippy, which is exactly how I see children of their age acting. In fact, it was actually refreshing to see children acting like children instead of mini teenagers (not one hint of teeny-bopper romance!) or cool, collected little adults who have the answer to everything. Lee Majors played the role of Max Tennyson, the steadfast and loving grandfather to the cousins, and he was effective as the character without over-shadowing the two child actors since this was more their show.
In terms of negative aspects to the film, the CGI was terrible but I don't think you can expect multi-million pound Hollywood standards in a made-for-TV film for kids. There also seemed to be something wrong with Ben's parents since they acted like flaky, clueless freaks who had escaped from a Sixties hippie commune. It would have been more interesting to see them as normal, concerned parents who know there is something important going on in their son's life. And where were Gwen's parents since she seemed to just wander around like an orphan (which perhaps she is in the show) with no mention of them? It would also have been a nice addition to Gwen's character had she done a bit more in terms of the fighting.
Overall, 'Ben 10: Race Against Time' is not going to win any Oscars nor is it a remake of 'The Godfather' or 'Citizen Kane' but it is an entertaining enough flick, especially for younger kids who like plenty of action and characters they can root for. It also isn't terrible enough that any adult, who has to watch it with their children or young siblings (or as background noise!), will feel the need to poke their eyes out.
