Ten-year-old Ben Tennyson must use his secret superpowers to fight off Eon, a time-traveling alien set on destroying the earth.
This full-length movie based on the hit TV series Ben 10 was the most-watched telecast in the history of Cartoon Network. Young boys love living vicariously through Ben, who may get picked on by his fellow students but is celebrated as a hero by those in the know. Many viewers will agree with Ben when he admits that fighting aliens is often easier than just being a kid.
This movie is intended for older children.
The action is too intense for 3- and 4-year-olds, especially when a practically-skeletal man's arm comes off in Ben's hands. Throughout much of the movie, very young children will feel the same way as Ben's cousin, Gwen, who admits, "I'm officially confused." Five-year-old boys may not understand everything that's going on but may still get caught up in Ben's mission and will definitely want the action figures that make up the award-winning toy line.
Children in this age group will be awestruck by Ben's ability to morph into a variety of cool aliens with names like Heatblast and Dinomutt. They'll wish they, too, could take revenge on the kids that tease them, mysteriously covering them in food the way Ben does in his neighborhood diner. Kids will admire Ben's grandfather, who has powers of his own and will do anything to protect his grandchildren, and will appreciate the close relationship between them.
Twelve-year-olds may have moved on from Ben 10, but younger tweens will still enjoy the action and feel empowered by the triumph of good over evil. Kids will respect Ben for not bragging about his successes and may wonder if they would be strong enough to do the same in his position.
