Max Beyond review

Max Beyond is a bit of a misnomer. This sci-fi animated film looks and plays out very much like an old school video game relic. It’s a flashback of an era where cutting edge graphic technology was still out of reach.

Trying to generate much buy-in for a movie that looks like the cut screens for a PlayStation 3 game is a tough sell.

For viewers able to overcome the lackluster presentation, there’s a decent premise to make it worth watching.

In the distant future, Leon Walker (Dave Fennoy, The Walking Dead: A Telltale Game Series) is visiting his brother, Max (Cade Tropeano).

Max is under observation at a major tech company Axion. Clearly, not everything is on the up and up with Axion as a large group of protestors are outside its headquarters. The mood isn’t great and seems to be leaning ever closer to a full-scale riot.

Screenwriters Stavros Pamballis, Paula Crickard and co-screenwriter/director Hasraff Dulull cleverly set the film on Christmas Eve. That’s a nice subtle nod to the ultimate “Christmas movie,” Die Hard, which is some next level bit of foreshadowing. 

Dr. Ava Johnson (Jane Perry, Baldur’s Gate III) is directly working with Max on an issue the screenwriters take their time detailing. It takes time for this payoff, but eventually delivers.

Max has the unique ability to travel along parallel universes. Yes, Max Beyond is another multiverse-type story that’s all the rage these days. After a childhood tragedy, Leon vows to always do whatever he needs to do to make sure Max is safe. Even if that means busting into a heavily guarded office space, battling legions of grunts and going toe to toe with an electric-sword wielding cyber ninja. Over and over again.

Leon has attempted to rescue Max thousands of times. Max continually jumps to different variants to hopefully find the reality where Leon is successful. The only catch is with each jump, Max’s health deteriorates. If he can’t find the proper universe soon, both he and Leon won’t survive.

The movie was crafted using the Unreal Engine, dubbed the most powerful real-time 3D engine. It’s been used as a regular staple in video game design since the early 2000s. Max Beyond‘s biggest issue is the animation flow is too herky-jerky. Characters’ mouths don’t move in sync with the dialogue.

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This stilted animation is more egregious during the action sequences as the characters move in an unnatural manner. The fight choreography is good with some nice gunplay. It would all just look so much better if the characters didn’t dive or shoot around as if they were battling in a swimming pool filled with molasses.

Too often the gunfights play out like old video game cut screens. In 2000, this animation would have been revolutionary. Now it looks extremely dated. Ironically, production studio HaZimation is working on a video game set for a 2025 release.

There are some engaging plot points and potential subplots that merit further development. It feels like the film would have more emotional gravitas if the main cast had more layers peeled back throughout.

Again, the animation proves problematic the longer the story plays out. The script sets up some heavy emotional beats. With a limited amount of emotion animations in his arsenal, Dulull isn’t able to provide the full toll of these moments. In one crucial scene, Max explains a tragedy with a calm serene expression.

Leon is a former marine clearly dealing with some form of PTSD. Through flashbacks, it’s shown that he was in some heavy combat and it’s levied an emotional toll on him. Ava also has some trauma in her background, which is helping to drive her desire to lead Max to successfully hopping to various realities. Of the three main characters, she has the most satisfying arc complete with the start of a possible relationship.

According to the press release, Max Beyond is being used as the prelude to the video game, which will further expand the backstory. This seems a backwards approach to the storytelling.

Traditionally, a video game based on a movie just covers the highlights instead of being used as the main vehicle for the story.

Max Beyond has outdated graphics and the story is somewhat underbaked. Still, there’s enough here to suggest that with a visual makeover and a script tweak — maybe a Director’s Cut with a larger budget? — this could be an above average movie. And likely even better game.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Photo Credit: HaZimation