Max Cloud

Director - Martin Owen (L.A. Slasher, Killers Anonymous)

Starring - Scott Adkins (Mutant X, Pit Fighter), Franz Drameh (Attack the Block, DC's Legends of Tomorrow), and Elliot James Langridge (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Let's Be Evil)

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Comedy/Sci-Fi/Action

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screner)

Rating (out of 5):

     There was much in the way of new releases for 2020 at least not when you compare to the number of new films to hit store shelves in previous years.  Covid really fucked over much of the world with every aspect suffering because of it.  Movies was one industry that was hit particularly hard.  Theaters are on a the edge of bankruptcy and movie sets closed due to CDC guidelines and social distancing practices.  However, some movies were able to get through production, editing, and find a release.  A few weeks ago I received the press release for the sci-fi action comedy Max Cloud starring action star Scott Adkins.  It looked fun and I'm a huge fan of video game culture so I requested a review copy.  Well Go USA was kind enough to hook me up with a blu!

     The film follows a teenage girl who is playing her favorite game, Max Cloud, when she finds an Easter Egg with a space witch.  Soon she finds herself in the video game as a playable character going on an adventure alongside Max Cloud while her friend Cowboy plays her through each level.

     I was really looking forward to checking this one out.  The trailer looked fun and the synopsis looked like something that was made just for me.  It was a fun one but I did find myself waiting for it to end.  Its was fun but WAY too long with long drawn out and repetitive scenes.  The acting in this one is very uneven but it doesn't distract from the film.  The supporting cast was colorful and very fun.  I enjoyed the wide array of characters the film delivers with a lot of them taking me back to the direct to video kid's movies I used to watch in the early 90s.  With that being said, Scott Adkins was the weakest point of the film.  His character of Max Cloud is meant to be a cliched character that almost parodies the muscle head captains in most sci-fi movies and games.  Almost like a live action Zapp Brannigan.  However, you can tell Adkins is really forcing his performance along.  This one did make me want to check out some of his more traditional action films.  He clearly has talent but this role just wasn't for him.  The story for this one is nothing we haven't seen before.  In fact, I reviewed a horror anthology not too long ago featuring a similar story where a man is sucked into a fantasy RPG game and forced to fight to survive.  This is also the basis for the Becoming the Archetype's music video for The Magnetic Sky.  The story sets itself apart from the others by diving deep into the nostalgia factor and classic gaming.  It does work but once you reach the half-way point in the film you find it becoming predictable and rather boring.  I found myself watching the time more than the movie at this point anticipating it to end.  Finally, this is not a bloody piece of horror that most of you are looking for.  However, as a sci-fi flick I have to admit that I am impressed by the visuals.  The sets and imagery look great and the visual effects look really fit the style of the film.  The visuals are nothing amazing BUT this film took what they could and made the movie around it.  It works and really impressed me with how they adapted them into the film without making it cheap.  Overall, Max Cloud is fun for a first time watch but I'd honestly rather spend my time watching Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie.  If this is your kind of thing then you may enjoy it.  I mean, I did but I could not bring myself to check it out again.