Ryan Shoots First: The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud
Max Cloud is bonkers… Thanks for reading!
Ok I’ll elaborate, it’s always a treat when I get an assignment for a Scott Adkins movie, he is about as solid of an action star as we cover regularly on the site. I especially enjoy when I get to cover Genre Scott Adkins and I especially especially love Sci-Fi Scott Adkins. In Max Cloud, Adkins plays the titular captain, to be precise the film is called The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud and I really hope that title implies more movies are to come in this series. For this adventure Max and his crew crash on the most dangerous prison planet in the galaxy, affectionately named Heinous. The movie of course has a rather big twist. The film takes place in a 1990’s video game being played by a young gamer named Sarah. For those 90’s gamers the game resembles a side scrolling brawler similar to the Midway X-Men games and the classic TMNT Turtles in Time. Sarah’s dad is a total buzzkill and takes Sarah’s controller away just after she discovered a Space Wizard Easter Egg in the game. After proclaiming her disgust with her father she is zapped into the game Jumanji style with her hero Max Cloud. On the outside in the real world is her friend Cowboy who she is able to communicate with as he controls her throughout the game.
This movie encapsulates what it is I love about Adkins so much. His range of not only the characters he can play but the roles he will take on. To compare his character in this film which borders on a playful Disney Channel Original Movie cheese with a little Buzz Lightyear syndrome, to his role in Avengement where he is the foulest British pub tough guy is stark. At this point I want to see the role he actually turns down and won’t take a shot at. Don’t get me wrong though when the action starts the film is anything but a Disney movie including of course a space hallway fight scene. The movie also stars Tommy Flanagan (West World, Gladiator) as Intergalactic Bounty Hunter Brock Donnelly who helps Max against his foil the evil Revengor played by John Hannah (The Mummy).
Max Cloud makes an excellent choice for it’s aesthetics and sound design. It feels like a 90’s arcade and has a sort of Neon aesthetic like the game No Man’s Sky and feels similar to Thor: Ragnarok with it’s score and set design. Also throw in a little Black Mirror for anyone that has seen the episode “USS Callister”. The movie puts a lot of thought into the aesthetic, it’s not just to cover up a lack of budget or to make it stand out. The movie pulls from many game design elements including health bars, puzzle solving and boss levels. There is even a clever moment where Max simply crouches out of view and the boss suddenly can’t see him. One of those video game mechanics that makes no sense in real life. There is no doubt Max Cloud has a healthy amount of cheese but cheese done right can be entertaining and Max Cloud plays it right. If you’re a fan of old sci-fi or Sega Genesis brawlers you will get a good kick out of Max Cloud. It won’t be for everyone but at 88 minutes it’s worth a shot and can be a good time, the final shot of Adkins is worth the price of admission alone.
