Official Synopsis:

When summer comes to an end, the adventure begins! Ben, Gwen and Grandpa Max leave their alien battling life on the road for the humdrum world of school and the suburbs. But when Eon - Ben's arch nemesis from another galaxy - shows up to claim the Omnitrix as his own and destroy the earth, things back home get really exciting!

Our Take:

Since the dawn of cinematic man, material from cartoons and video games have rarely translated well into the “real world,” and instead of being wickedly awesome (like Transformers) they turn out to be smoldering piles of  Super Mario Brothers (yes, the one with Dennis Hopper).

Fortunately, Cartoon Network, when choosing to bring one of their hottest properties to the world of 3D, did so in a way that worked out really well. Of course, the idea of a “live action” movie from “Cartoon” Network doesn’t make sense; at least I guess no more sense than a channel named MUSIC Television playing anything BUT music. But I digress.

Fans of the Ben 10 have been following Ben, along with his cousin Gwen and his Grandpa Max on one heck of a summer vacation: taking in the country, seeing the sights, saving the Earth from Aliens, it’s all in a day’s work. However, now Ben 10 is back to being plain ol' Ben as summer vacation is over, and it’s homework, bullies, and dirty gym socks.

Playing Ben is Graham Phillips, whom you might recognize from Evan Almighty (oh why, Steve Carrell, why?), and even cooler is who they got to play Grandpa Max: none other than The Six Million Dollar Man himself, Lee Majors. We finally get to learn a little more about “the Plumbers,” a top-secret organization that Grandpa Max belongs to (think Men in Black without the suits). Making the transition to live action are only four of Ben’s alien forms, Heatblast, Grey Matter, Diamondhead, and Wildmutt. Even with a budget of $5 million, the effects look great.

DVD extra features include:

* Live At the L.A Premiere (2 minutes) - Director/Producer Alex Winter talks to the audience of kids at the premier of the film.

* Ben 10 The Movie, The Omnitrix/Eon, The Movie According To Gwen (6 minutes) – Split up into three pieces, these behind-the-scenes looks at the film that originally aired on Cartoon Network are more like promotional pieces. Still interesting to watch.

* Meet The Cast With Fried Dynamite (7 minutes) – Features interviews with the cast; it seems like more promotional material from CN, but still interesting.

Although it doesn’t completely capture the essence of the cartoon, this film is still one heck of a ride. Ben 10: Race Against Time is a must for any Ben 10 fans, and a great primer for someone who might not know too much about the series. With Season 4 being the last season of the show before Ben 10: Alien Force premiers, now is a great time to get into the Ten.

RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:

Film: A-

DVD: B-

- Chris Lawrence

Staff Writer