The only reason that I watched this movie is because I read the series. And while the series is interesting, this movie is a waste of time. While it may have some of the plot line from the book, it's all jumbled together. The characters are all bland, the effects were cheesy rather than impressive, and what should have been an interesting movie was actually rather boring.

Based on the popular novel by James Patterson, this film only aims for a minimum ride. Plotting is confusing and the dialogue weak. Occasionally decent special effects and committed playing from the young cast ensure the film is watchable. I haven't read the source novel but I believe many have been disappointed with this low budget adaptation.

I watched it a long time ago. I realized while watching it. The plot is good but the effects are really bad. It's an old production but there are movies with really good effects these years. Watch it, it's not bad but it's not that good either.

Okay, so, a little personal history: Some years ago, I randomly came across the _Alex Rider_ series while browsing the stacks at the library. I listened to the first book on audio, loved it, and reviewed it on Amazon. Some time later, that infamous shopping website recommended the _Maximum Ride_ series to me because of my review. So, I soon checked it out...and loved it! In fact, the third book was so good, it got my adrenaline pumping while reading it on a family vacation! There had been talk of a movie franchise based on the books for a while, and I kept hoping to see a trailer or poster for it at the movies. I'd kind of given up hope until a month or two ago, when the big announcement that a film version had been released on iTunes came up on my Facebook news feed. I soon bought it, and finally got around to watching it yesterday and today. What did I think? It was good...but, given the nature of the franchise, it could have been better. The acting was great, and the action sequences were wonderful...but, the ending was weird, and I'm not even sure what the final scene was supposed to mean. If there is a celluloid sequel, I hope that clears up whatever was implied there. If you're a fan of Max and crew like I am, you might enjoy this...but, people unfamiliar with the franchise may find some parts of the movie confusing. Content Concerns: Sex: One near kiss. 4/5 Nudity: Shirtless guy; Max wears both bare-midriff outfits and tops with slits in the sides that show off her bra throughout. 2/5 Language: One or two misuses of God's name; three or four uses of the d-word; one use of the h-word. 3/5 Violence: Sci-fi action violence abounds; multiple fisticuffs, explosions, etc., that result in the death of at least one character. Though intense, the violence is not bloody or gory, save for one bloody scene where a character is shot. 2/5 Drugs: None. 5/5 Frightening/Intense Scenes: An overall dark mood; scary humanoid monsters with fangs; a child is kidnapped; a man threatens a woman; emotional intensity; there's little in this film that **isn't** intense. 1/5 Score: 3.5/5

This was a watchable movie. But it was not a great movie. The story was sorely lacking and is left very open-ended and I doubt we'll ever see more of this story. I feel like I've only read the first 2 or 3 chapters of a 20 chapter book. How I rate: 1-3 ❤ = seriously! don't waste your time 4-6 ❤ = you may or may not enjoy this 7-8 ❤ = I expect you will like this too 9-10 ❤ = movies and TV shows I really love!