Ben 10: Race Against Time (2007 TV Movie) User Reviews

A risky movie that ultimately ends up a "bad idea"

[Nukem999 · 3/10 · 25 November 2007]

First off let me say I am a BIG Ben 10 fan and in being one, I actually had some hope for this movie. Despite how obviously bad the concept sounded I was still interested, unfortunately, the movie turned out exactly as it sounded: a bad idea. Sometimes the special effects were okay, other times it just looked sloppy. The idea of a live Ben 10 movie is one that should NOT be handled by CN ever.

For a network that created its own show and made a movie about it, they sure didn't seem to know what they were doing. I'm a detailed person so expect this to be a long review. First off, the actors for this were not exactly the best. Pretty much everyone was weak, anemic, and a poor example of their cartoon counterparts.

Graham Phillips genuinely seemed like he was trying to "be Ben". The one liners, the attitude, he really seemed like he was trying to be a good Ben but he ultimately sucked at it. He didn't give any life or the "shine" Ben had in the show and the fact they actually made him forget who the Plumbers were is an insult.

Ben's no genius but he's not THAT stupid, I felt that was a bad portrayal of his character. Now for Gwen, the WORST CHARACTER ever! Haley Ramm may look like Gwen with that red hair, but she practically breezed through this film. She put on a pathetic, non existent, weakling attempt at "acting" and was practically emotionless.

None of her sass between her cousin existed, her magic powers didn't show up, they had her trademark outfit on for like 3 MINUTES! Which really upset me because I liked her outfit from the show and felt it fit her well. And most annoyingly, she ruined a perfectly well written climax for Gwen's character.

Towards the end of the movie, Gwen makes this big speech and I loved seeing her character enter those emotional moments in the show but this kid just totally breezed all emotions away with a dry performance. The only and I mean ONLY one character from the show who fit dead on was Lee Majors as Grandpa Max.

If a big budget movie comes around, I hope he's cast again because he was excellent. He got the voice, the attitude, and the warmth of Grandpa down to a tee. Now for the new characters: Eon and Ben;s parents. Eon (the movie's villain) was the only neat new thing they brought in, he was a neat character.

His design was cool to look at, I liked his voice, and he was quite compelling as a sort of honorable villain who cared more about his people then himself and despite still being a bastard, he had more going for him then most of Ben's usual villains. However, Ben's parents proved to be one of the biggest let downs.

The show NEVER showed them or said their names and to see them like this, feels like a weak attempt to give them faces. They are played down to cliché hippie, "emotional growth" parents who don't seem like Ben at all. I was hoping for a bigger surprise considering Ben's parents have been a total mystery, and this just felt like a lame attempt.

The whole town being Plumbers I felt was a stupid thing. It ruined the mystique of the Plumbers by making it seem this is so "destiny" like having Ben's hometown being the last refuge of the Plumbers. I felt it was a weak attempt to try and tie Ben's future with his hometown very unnecessary.

The story itself was average, it was all right and they had some neat new tricks by having Eon reveal secrets about the watch (although quite confusing ones). But even the big "weapon" the "hands of Armageddon", not only sounded stupid but was stupid, it felt like a cheap plot device with little thought behind its existence or use.

The movie tries to make it sound more important by giving us lame tie ins to famous landmarks and incidents (grand canyon, Chicago fire etc). Finally, we reach the aliens. All of them looked pretty good actually despite how few they appeared. Wild Mutt probably looked the worst, it looked like his body was CGI but his mouth was regular animation.

Diamondhead was probably the best looking and sounding, Gray Matter looked great but sounded like some sort of mentally challenged clown then his usual cool smart sounding voice. The movie's music scored well, it all sounded like the shows themes and sounds so at least they got one thing right.

But the biggest problem with this movie with me is: its a new story. CN originally said this movie doesn't connect to the show at all, yet the movie clearly takes place AFTER the summer Ben started on so in a sense, after the show. They mention things from the series to make it seem like its connected.

Yet the idea of making a NEW story proved to be too stupid an idea. Because this is a low budget CN original movie, they have would have been better off doing a LIVE retelling of when Ben first found the Omnitrix rather then creating a whole new story with new characters, villains, and plot devices to the show.

Not to mention actually having someone die with a decaying skeleton was a surprise for this kind of film. In the end, "Ben 10: Race against time" clearly bit off more then it can chew and didn't think this through. A few nice ideas and a great live Grandpa Max don't excuse 90 minutes of poor planning, crap acting, and a sloppy story which inevitably reminds me of what Carl said in "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" after they surgically turned him to a woman: "You're right.....this was a very bad idea".

Remind yourself "TV MOVIE"

[billyj1991 · 4/10 · 21 November 2007]

Well, I saw the commercials and they made it seem like "Ben Ten Race Against Time" would have potential. I saw the Ben Ten movie that CN made prior to Against Time, which was "Mystery of the Omnitrix" or something to that extent. Mystery of the Omnitrix was very good, and in many ways touching... so I figured that Against Time would be worth a watch.

The effects were good... for a TV movie. It was very hard for me to turn the channel as I sat through the attempt at effects and poor attempt at the actors trying to interact with the CG aliens. I had to keep reminding myself "TV MOVIE TV MOVIE TV MOVIE"

Another thing I had a problem with was the fact that only a few months before Cartoon Network released "Mystery of the Omnitrix" as a TV movie, and it was animated. Then they release a live action Ben Ten? What will the third movie be? I think that was a poor consistency move on not only Cartoon Network but also the producers of the Ben Ten series.

Another reason EXTREME fans might not enjoy this movie is the choice of actor for Grandpa Max. In the cartoon Grandpa Max is sort of large... whereas in the live action the character is lean with a beard, and is more of a stereotypical Midwestern grandfather. I, who again was reminding myself "TV MOVIE", was open to this.

I did like the actor for Eon. His acting was, in my opinion, above standards for the others in the movie... especially the parents, who as I gathered were supposed to be trying to be way too accepting or something. I dunno the aim of the two were sort of lost on me.

I give this movie a 4/10... just because I think CN bit off more than it could chew, and this type of movie should have been reserved for theaters where special effects could have been better.

If the real Ben saw this, he would be mad

[bluhmfamily · 5/10 · 29 December 2010]

Hello IMDb this is bluhmfamily and it's time to review Ben 10: Race against Time, WAIT, did I say Ben 10: Race against Time? Alright I'll review this!! I was young in 2007 and loved the show Ben 10 so much, I was waiting for a preview for a live movie. When I saw the preview for this movie, I shouted and cried in joy. At first I thought it was a live movie about Ben getting the Omnitrix and Vilgax wanting it and all that junk.

But then I saw it was called "Ben 10: Race against Time", I was confused.

Alright to the movie begins with the night life of Bellwoodd, suddenly a guy named Eon appears and blows up lots of stuff. Suddenly, Heatblast shows up (who looks very,very,very,very fake). Heatblast tells Eon that he should leave, suddenly the sheriff shows up, Eon then calls his minions down. WAIT WAIT WAIT, minions, REALLY!, they look like something you would find in a Power Rangers episode! Heatblast then battles Eon's minions like he's a toy.

Heatblast then burns Eon, why can't that be the end of this dang movie! Heablast then flies away, after landing, Heatblast suddenly turns back to Ben, who looks nothing like himself. We see the Rustbucket pull up and Gwen and Max step out of it. Gwen tells Ben that Heatblast totally burned up Bellwoodd. Max says that Ben needs to get home before his parents wake up and that he has school the next day. Rewind the movie and see that the clock says 2:50 AM. And I thought that in 2008 we see the final episode of Ben 10 air; I guess the episode was non-cannon.

After riding to MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!!!, Ben also tries to re-live his old life but fails at it.

Next we see Ben's parents for the first time ("Goodbye and Good Riddance" is non-cannon). And I have to admit, the movie was moving smoothly until Ben's parents, Carol and Sandra come in! They just suddenly make the movie really bad.

After a worthless scene with Max, Ben goes to a diner that should be Mr. Smmothy (a restraint from Ben 10: Alien Force). Ben transforms into Greymatter to hack the restraint's machines because Cash and J.T, and a bunch of girls wreck his life again.

Ben later finds out that Eon is still alive, Max tells Ben and Gwen that Eon was the first alien the Plumbers ever captured. The three go to the place were Eon was kept (It must have been before the Null Void was created), they go to the place and find out that Eon destroyed the place long ago. Max tells Ben and Gwen that Eon is after the Hands of Armygedon to unleash his people from Chronia to invade Earth.

They find the "Hands" back in Bellwood, later Eon hacks the Omnitrix and makes it stop working and pointlessly chases Ben around the street.

Later, Max tells Ben that Eon will need the Omnitrix to power the "Hands". The next day, Ben is alone in the gym until Eon finds him.

Ben transforms to Diamondhead and shortly battles him. Later, Ben and Gwen are in the park until Max shows up and finds out that Ben and Gwen are trying to let Eon find them.

The Rustbucket is destroyed and not even Upgrade can repair it. OH BOY! Time to make the Rustbucket II, the RV we don't see until Ben 10: Alien Force! Max fights like a really old grandpa and lets Eon capture him along with Ben and Gwen.

Ben wakes up and finds out that Eon needs to Omnitrix to turn Ben into a younger clone of Eon since the "Hands" can only be worked with a young Chronian. Ben transforms into Eon, not Beneon, or Bentime, or Bon, the alien is just called Eon! After a stressful scene, Eon transforms back to Ben and the real Eon freezes time and throws Ben across the room. Ben transforms to Wildmutt and uses Gwen to toss Eon into the "Hands". Gwen and Wildmutt make it to the talent show and they all live happily ever after.

This movie plainly ruined the Ben 10 show, the show suddenly became bad because of this movie! I give Ben 10: Race against Time a 3 out of 10 because it's poor, stupid, pointless, no trace of connection with the show, the Omnitrix aliens poor CGI graphics, and the poor acting.

But the universe of Ben 10 still has one last hope of fixing the series. That fixer is called "Ben 10: Alien Force"

What a clunker

[ospf10 · 1/10 · 21 November 2007]

Talk about a clunker of a movie. I've never seen more stiff actors in my life. Or should I say, no acting. Pathetic representation of a truly top notch cartoon/anime. This movie does nothing to keep with the spirit of the characters. I lifeless bunch of hacks. Ben Tennyson is supposed to be 10 years old, not to mention pretty darn athletic on the skate board, bike, climbing, what-not. This kid plays him like a second rate goof ball.

The characters Don't even match the physical likeness of the cartoon characters. Not unless Ben grew a foot over night. Ben is supposed to be younger and much shorter then Gwen. In the movie he looks to be older and is about 3 inches taller. As for Lee Majors, what a crappy representation of Grandpa. Looks like he's half crippled from arthritis the entire time. And what gives with the beard? Whatever happened to Gwen's "charm" magic? What happened to Grandpa being able to handle himself in a fight? Lee Majors played grandpa like, well, an old grandpa.

The fight scenes were right out 60's era B movies. Looks like everyone wanted to make sure the "kids" didn't get hurt.

I really could go on and on, but, I think you get the point. For all the build up, this movie was a BAD

Go go Omnitrix Rangers!

[bdgl-1 · 1/10 · 3 February 2008]

I am a HUGE fan of the Ben 10 series, and I also consider myself a fairly open-minded viewer. But this movie was just plain AWFUL! I grew up in the generation of kids that sat transfixed by shows like the multi-nauseating Power Ranger franchise, and I have to say, this movie's return to that style of filming was NOT for the better. Their multiple-level diffusion from the shows many aspects of continuity also didn't help.

1) They selected a completely separate realm of voice actors for the aliens, none of which sounded in any manner like the voices we became used to in the cartoon. Would it have been such a hard thing to have requested the same people to voice the aliens in the movie? 2) What the hell was up with the break up of character continuity with Ben's parents? In the series, his dad was an ENGINEER for Christ's sake, who the hell is this hippie-dippy jackass?! And his mother, not that she was ever broached in the series (to my knowledge), jeez could you have made her any less likable? 3) The fight scenes with Eon's endless supply of disposable enemy drones was TERRIBLY CHOREOGRAPHED! Scene shots that center on them leaping through the air in over-dramatized jumping attacks, their grasp of "movie-style jujitsu", the only thing that Power Rangers had that Ben 10 didn't was lame spaghetti-western style impact sounds (biff, whack, thud, zap).

4) Huh . . . nice how they cautiously avoided any of the more popular alien forms.

5) Lee frigging Majors . . . dammit. I like Lee Majors, don't get me wrong, but why the hell would anyone think he would make a passable Grandpa Max Tennyson? Max is supposed to be a paunchy, easy to smile, almost Santa Clause like man (as proved by Mister Jingles). Lee Majors is a grizzled, emotional cut-off. Why not have him played by Adam West or William Shatner, if you wanted an 'Out of work' old man who couldn't act like anything but a worn old action hero? The only reason lee Majors was even used was because of the response that his name would incite, because you don't have to know who Lee Majors is, to have that subliminal "ping" in the back of your head tell you that he's been in TV for eons.

I was so disappointed when I saw this movie; I'd been so excited when they started showing teasers months in advance, but this was one of those movies that was hyped up and couldn't stand under the weight of its director's over-zealous self-promotion.

To the director: Step Down, turn in your megaphone, and the next time you consider taking on the task of bringing an animated series into the real world, try asking someone who isn't a frigging idiot what would make the movie really good. Your kiss-up writers suck. Better to pass on the 'Happy Ending' massage and hire a GOOD writer, and poll your audience to see what they do and do not like about the series.

And just in case I hadn't made myself clear. This movie, DO NOT LIKE!

Wow... Simply Wow

[Yoshi6666 · 1/10 · 2 December 2007]

Okay, I didn't like the show that much, mainly because I don't have the time to really watch it, but I was so excited to see the movie, because I want to be an animator (hopefully special FX guy) and so I wanted to see the action happen. Well, I was kinda out of luck on that part. Let's see, the characters didn't match up with the original, the kid playing Ben was perfect, but Gwen looked SOOOO fake. And Grandpa... wow, simply amazing on how he doesn't look like of the original. The acting was just as bad as Re-Animated, I mean, seriously (wait, this was worse), and the heroes looked fake as crap. The furry monster looked like he had been put on paper, cut out, and just pasted on a film. Could they have done any worse? Wait, don't answer that.

The script could have been improved SO much. The ideas are so over-used, and the humor... well, there wasn't any. And like the part of Zoom, when something SO amazing happens, like when a monster turns into a little boy, the crowd just goes "ahhhhh....", instead of "AAAHHHH...", they just look like its normal.

1/10

one of the worst movies ever

[asim34522-1 · 1/10 · 25 March 2008]

OK let's get one thing straight, this movie should be banned. No I'm not joking, the monster graphics in this movie was so bad that in the movie I thought Wild-mutt was a giant orange with legs. You could clearly see some of the effects are fake I mean come on put a little no wait forget that last part put a LOT of of effort in. Crap, crap and more crap. Bad ending, the actors were butt-ugly freaks. THEY should have been the monsters, it would be scarier. I thin 1/10 is far too good a rating for this movie, it had bad effects and a stupid bad guy. I mean I hardly watch the TV series Ben 10 because I'm older but my younger brother watches it and tells me that this squid-head called Vilgax was the bad guy so why not make him the bad guy in the movie. Screwed up piece of crap this movie is

Poor

[iotroaoi · 1/10 · 21 November 2007]

The acting is flat... For a movie you'd expect to be esoteric, they explain things from the TV show...

The actors' representations of the cartoon characters are poor and don't live up to the voice actors' renditions.

Ben, as a character, apparently forgets all the character development he had during the summer.

Gwen was there, but the fire in her character was a 2 while the cartoon version's is a 5.

The grandpa didn't have the energy of the grandpa in the cartoon.

Effects were okay, but it seemed more like a bloated Power Rangers episode.

The alien animations were good.

Not bad but a bit boring

[ahmedgorshy · 6/10 · 10 April 2020]

Not bad but a bit boring, acting modest, influencers good I don't have much to say it's a TV movie

I paid money for this!!!!!!

[Tsavo · 1/10 · 7 July 2008]

I PAID MOENY FOR THIS!!!! WHY IN GODS NAME DID I PAY MOENY FOR THIS!!!!!!!

Okay first of all it starts off okay but the fight sequences where a bit too power rangers, then the plot comes along, which was poorly written especially at the end, where they seem to abandon all logic, really I've defended some bad movies, but wow, at least the original series seemed to have a bit more in the characters, and the feeling that there was something bigger going on, this one was.... i'm not sure how to explain it, and no this isn't supposed to be an in depth review but mostly just me letting out my shock at how utterly BAD this movie was, and if the rumor i heard about a 5 million dollar budget is true, I'm in shock, its one hour and 7 minutes of wasted time, except for a couple of entertaining character, namely the principal and the oriental plumber, who's name i cannot remember right now, there have been WONDROUS movies made for only a few hundred thousand dollars, the fact someone thinks this movie wasn't bad for one with ONLY 5 mill has sad illusions about film-making, truly, i cannot believe this, even my 12 year old SISTER was disgusted by this movie, the original series was compelling and interesting, this started with about half that, but i was still going to give it a chance, but by the end, when the acting and plot just abandoned most everything that had been set up.... grrrrrrr..... I Just CANT Believe THIS, i have defended many movies that people have claimed where bad, even Alone in the dark (not great, but okay, there have been worse movies, trust me I've seen them)... BUT WOW.... I PAID MONEY for this and TRULY feel betrayed here..... normally i don't mind it.... but wow i LOVE the animated series, this....... i don't know what to call it... ruins that... *sighs* Okay rants done.

Ben 10 Race Against Time Review

[rockraiders · 9/10 · 24 November 2007]

Well to put it all together it was an amazing movie. yes it was a b rate movie but it was still a very good movie.

Acting- Very good all the actors acted there parts and at the same time put there own characteristics into them.

Story- Good story, nice script.

CGI- i wont lie could have been a bit better but in the end very good for this film and for the budget.

Music- Amazing fit every sequence of this film. Even the redone punk version of the theme song was AMAZING!!!!

Very Good Movie Overall,Children Will Love It. Im 18 and i loved it.

It is what it is.

[whitbj98 · 7/10 · 22 November 2007]

I think the movie was pretty good for cartoon network budget. Other TV movies are far worse than this one is said to be. The acting is just as good as any Disney or NICK live action show. It was just as good as saved by the bell. Not like anyone was expecting emmys or anything for this. I watched it with my kids who were greatly entertained. A 6 year old and an 8 year old. They liked it and watched it twice. So apparently the movie did its job and entertained kids and helped fuel the imagination. Let's face it, if you are 15 or older and still watching cartoons and complaining about them, you need a life or you have found yourself getting older and should try some other entertainment other than cartoons.

A fun disaster

[dp-17275 · 5/10 · 26 February 2019]

Obviously the film is awful since it is essentially a TV-movie. The cgi in this film is watchable, but what is not watchable is everything else in Alex Winter's cartoon network flick. The acting of the main protagonists of Ben 10 and Gwen must put up with awful dialogue, and not helping by giving that dialogue an awful delivery. The best thing about this film is it's overall charm. Your child will love it since they are seeing their heroes come to life. Adults will either hate it or just find it very boring as nothing happens for a long time in this film, but children who grew up on the original Ben 10 series will truly consider this disaster flick; a masterpiece.

I cringed the whole time!

[manizeh-78126 · 1/10 · 8 September 2018]

At first, I was excited to see the movie. I am a HUGE fan of Ben 10. I've watched all the ANIMATED movies and all four of the Ben 10 series. (The reboot, though, is not as good as I thought. More like Teen Titans Go!)

I absolutely hated the movie! The acting is cheap, and the script is cheesy. The actors don't even look like their original counterparts. I realize that just about any live action movie based off of a cartoon is going to be crappy.

One part I escpecially hated was when I saw Ben's parents. They were this cliché hippy couple who told Ben to call them by their NAMES instead of "Mom" and "Dad". How stupid. On top of that, Ben's mom told him it because they were "equals". I cringed at that part. In the cartoon, Ben's parents were easygoing, but not hippy.

Grandpa Max didn't even look like the paunchy, wise, and strong man he is. He couldn't even defend himself against Eon. In the cartoon, he survived many falls and hits. He could punch someone and knock them out. He knew how to use weapons, and he saved Ben and Gwen many times.

Now, we come to Gwen. Gwen wasn't even sassy, and more like a bully. Her dialogue in the scene when Ben has turned into Eon made me cringe BIG time. Couldn't she use her powers instead? First, she made this whole speech about how she loves Ben. That was fine. Then she ruins everything by saying, "Don't tell anyone I said the l-word!" How much more cheesy can you get?

It's even more wierd when they make Ben's PRINCIPAL into a secret Plumber. So, so cheesy.

Another thing I didn't like was when they made Ben older than he actually is! He's supposed to have graduated from 4th grade to 5th grade. He supposed to be ten! He looks like he was eleven or twelve. Isn't this supposed to take place right AFTER the series, not one or two years into the future?

They didn't show most of the aliens which was terrible. I loved Four Arms.

Lastly, the ending wasn't even an ending! There was no real action, and I was super upset when I finished the movie. I rate this half a star out of ten. I don't think Ben 10: Alien Swarm will be much better.

A Disappointment Bigger than Four Arms

[Ithorianjedimaster2 · 2/10 · 21 November 2007]

I've been waiting 2 months for this movie and I remember how excited I was when I discovered that there was a live action Ben 10 movie in production. However, on the day before Thanksgiving, I do NOT thank Cartoon Network for giving us this...horrible excuse of a Ben 10 adventure.

The story is simple. The movie takes place after Ben's summer vacation, when Ben returns to his hometown, Bellwood, and goes back to school and is forced out of being a hero to being just an ordinary kid. Unfortunately, his homecoming won't be peaceful. The evil Eon, some kind of warrior that can manipulate time, rises from his slumber to find Ben and use the Omnitrix to unleash his evil alien race against the world. It's the basic storyline in most Ben 10 episodes, but here, it is so disjointed and confusing that you are wondering what the hell is going on throughout most of the movie. Eon talks about how his legions are trapped by time and time this and time that, but really, the concept never takes off.

I was mostly excited because like all Ben 10 fans, it's a real treat to see Ben's aliens in real life. However, the movie only gives us Heatblast, Grey Matter, Diamondhead, and finally, Wildmutt, but each look so fake and aren't voiced by the original voice actors so they sound really crappy, especially Grey Matter. The movie tries to get out of revealing Fourarms, Cannonbalt, Stinkfly, XLR8, etc., by giving Eon the power to make the Omnitrix not work, which is never explained anywhere.

Grandpa Max, Gwen, especially Ben, are nothing like their show counterparts. Ben forgets who the Plumbers are, despite the fact that there are numerous adventures in the cartoon series involving them. Gwen is now nothing but a b****, teasing Ben, but more like a bully than a cousin. You never grow to like her. Also, may I add that she doesn't even use her spells? Yes. Grandpa Max? Well acted, BUT looks nothing like the cartoon version. He's not fat, not big, he has a beard, and wearing a hat all the time. He looks more like a trucker rather than a wise, experienced Plumber. Ben is the worst. He is not at all like Ben from the show.

The director introduces Ben's parents and other Plumbers, but they are TERRIBLE!!! They are so cliché and dumb that they don't even make you blink an eye.

In the end, I would say this is one of the most major disappointments of the year for me. The characters don't fit the cartoon versions. The lack of alien heroes is also a downer. The dialogue and plot line are so horribly done that Ben 10: Race Against Time is nothing more than a cheap throw to try and get Ben 10 audiences into the real world. There is no morale to the story, no reasons, except for the reason to see Ben and friends in real life. Alex Winter, next time, wait about 5 to 6 years, when you have a major movie studio and a much higher budget, give the story an actual villain (Vilgax, Kevin Eleven, hell, even the Forever Knights will do) and try again.

It was bad...

[raven_blood88 · 1/10 · 25 November 2007]

I hated the cartoon, but I have to say I hated this more.

The cartoon's lame and I really find it dumb, but this movie makes anything look more enjoyable by comparison... even "Chowder". Oh wait, maybe not.

The acting is so lame. The kid who played Ben had no emotion. He just sounded like he was reading off cue cards. His parents were horrible. If I had parents that lame, I'd put myself up for adoption. Gwen was annoying, but that was nothing new. At least she was in character though.

Eon was such a Darth Vader/Emperor Palpantine mix that he seemed even lamer than every other lame aspect of this movie. And I got even more confused when he revealed that he was Ben. It said that he was an ancient enemy from space. Ben doesn't live in the stone age. Plot Hole.

Grandpa and the Plumbers were so sappy and hokey, I almost died laughing. And the CGI was so lame, especially with Wild Mutt. The effects really seemed like one of those Grade B horror films. Case in point, the whole movie stank. Period.

1/10

A mildly entertaining wee kiddie flick

[cosmic_quest · 5/10 · 8 April 2009]

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.

Not impressive

[benfreak-1 · 1/10 · 22 November 2007]

When I watched this film, well, before, I thought this was going to be a immature, boring film for little kids. I'd love to say I'm wrong, but sadly, no. The script was terrible, acting very, very poor, and it seems EVERYTHING in the movie sucks. The music, out of all the parts of the movie, was the best. And the music is just OK. The Ben 10 team could have made something better, and I watched the film with very low expectations. Any lower than that, I'd be dead. The movie did not live up to my expectations. I wasn't expecting a Die Hard, just expecting a low rate film. I was 100 percent right!Out of all the movies playing on TV, I ended up watching this. If you want to see a movie based on a TV show, go watch Transformers.

O Kay

[www-jats · 6/10 · 19 January 2010]

I think the movie was pretty good for cartoon network budget. Other TV movies are far worse than this one is said to be. The acting is just as good as any Disney or NICK live action show. It was just as good as saved by the bell. Not like anyone was expecting Emmy's or anything for this. I watched it with my kids who were greatly entertained. A 6 year old and an 8 year old. They liked it and watched it twice. So apparently the movie did its job and entertained kids and helped fuel the imagination. Let's face it, if you are 15 or older and still watching cartoons and complaining about them, you need a life or you have found yourself getting older and should try some other entertainment other than cartoons

It was crap.

[thomasedwardlawrence · 3/10 · 15 September 2012]

The film: It was crap. Not much else to say that other reviewers haven't... The effects were crap. The acting was crap. The story was crap. The lack of continuity was crap.

The TV Series: It was fun. Interesting villains, like Dr. Animo or Vilgax, were entertaining to watch (Animo's voice is awesome!). The aliens: Heatblast, Grey Matter, Wildmutt, Diamondhead, Cannonbolt, Fourarms, Upgrade, Ghostfreak, Way Big, Eye Guy, XLR8, Stinkfly, Ripjaws, Wildvine, Benwolf, Benmummy, Benviktor, Upchuck, & Ditto were all interesting, exciting and original, fun for the audience to watch. The animation was good, the stories were good. Okay, it could be a little bit 'kiddy' but, nonetheless, it was a fun show with fun characters, interesting ideas and a great execution make one heck of a good sci-fi animated kid's show.

In comparison: The TV series was fun, with original ideas and entertaining stories, but the film was unintelligible drivel, and just plain crap.

It's Hero Time!

[simmon4-1 · 8/10 · 25 November 2007]

You've watched the show, it's Ben 10 in his first live action movie from cartoon network! In this movie i thought that the plot was pretty good, the acting was kinda cheesy in parts, the music rocked, and the aliens (some of them) were awesome! on the aliens part they weren't really all that bad. Heatblast was a little short looking and his moves were not really captured the greatest, but the flames on him were sweet. Greymatter was captured just like the show, except for his voice which sounded like some crazy malevolent villain. Why couldn't they have just used the voices in the show? Diamondhead was personally my favorite in the movie! He was shown perfectly from the show, and talked like him too. The radiant crystal glow thing on him was the coolest! Lastly, Wildmutt was really cool looking when he was fighting, but up next to another character looked like kinda bad graphics. Though overall I liked it! I just hope they will include the other 6 aliens out of the original ten if they make a sequel to it.

An OK movie

[schuymarch1-1 · 7/10 · 17 January 2008]

The good- Ben 10's aliens looked cool, especially Wildmutt. Eon is an OK villain. I'm glad that I got to see the P.L.U.M.B.E.R.S. The action was pretty good. I'm glad that I got to see the aliens in live-action.

The bad-Grandpa Max does not look close to how he looked in the series. Gwen didn't have any magical powers. There was no villain from the series. Without the commercials, it is only a little bit over an hour. I would have liked to see more aliens. I wish that it didn't take so long for the movie to air. I waited for like two months to see it. I was kind of impressed with the movie. I would have liked Eon's henchman to not look like Power Rangers villains.

ben10superforcemegazord

[riffran · 1/10 · 3 September 2008]

I am ashamed to say that I am a big Ben 10 fan..(at the tender age of 40)...lol.....I DVR'd this move in great anticipation, after watching the secret of the omnitrix, and watching almost every episode of ben 10 and ben 10 alien force, with my 10 year old daughter...We enjoy the rest of the genre, my little girl is a big "Gwen" fan. As for the live action version ...egads!!...Thats 15 minutes I will never get back, good thing I didn't have a brick to bang my head with, I would have need stitches. I don't blame the actors, even lee majors for this groaner, I blame the idjits who produced and wrote the nasty blend of power ranger/ ben 10/ and "hey what can I do with my new video editing program......You could clog the arteries of an army with the cheese of this so called movie.....My little girl even told me "Dad ...that was stupid"...and she likes hello kitty....to put it in perspective...blahhh......riff

Slightly better than I expected, but still not good.

[hunter-107 · 3/10 · 24 November 2007]

When I found out they were making a live action Ben 10 movie, I knew it would not be good. Cartoon Network seems to have forgotten their own name, and is wasting our time and their money on live action garbage.

It wasn't that horrible. Grandpa Max and Gwen were both fine, but the linchpin Ben was both poorly written and overacted. Grey Matter looked good, Diamond Head and Heat Blast were acceptable (barely), but Wild Mutt looked horrible. And none of the aliens sounded the same, which is absurd. Grey Matter sounded the worst, absolutely nothing like the animated version.

The storyline had potential, but did nothing with it. Eon was too much of a waffle, neither a true evil villain, nor a sympathetic antagonist. The Plumbers in Bellwood are mostly one-dimensional. Gwen contributes almost nothing. Ben's modern hippy parents were interesting, but neither grow nor change, and are also underused.

Worst of all, the movie all but ignores the mythos of the show. Gwen doesn't use her magic or martial arts, even when her life and the whole world are in extreme danger. Ben forgets who the Plumbers are, which is really just an excuse for exposition by Gwen. Eon spouts facts about the Omnitrix that are counter to the facts of the original show.

why all the hate

[finaldishonored · 22 May 2017]

I loved it ben 10 was at its best during these years it was funny with the ice cream and the teachers the talent show ben and Gwen were at their best the struggle between ben and his parents was done well so I give it an 8 out of 10 enjoy it you should give it a shot the CG is pretty good