Based on the 2016 revival series of “Ben 10”, “Ben 10 vs. The Universe” is pretty much what I expected after seeing a few episodes of the 2016 series. The newer “Ben 10” has a more comedic tone and loses the thrilling elements of the earlier incarnations. It’s a lot like “Teen Titans Go!” when compared to the earlier “Teen Titans” series. It’s a real shame to see the once exciting “Ben 10” franchise turn into this.

The young Ben Tennyson gets mistaken for the intergalactic villain, Vilgax. Ben must convince the alien authorities that he is really a hero. He must harness the true powers of the Omnitrix if he is going to be able to defeat Vilgax and save Earth.

I always had a soft spot for the early “Ben 10” shows because I like the characters and the situations. The characters in the 2016 show and this film just lack any real personality. Everything is so goofy and I dislike the animation style. The old version of Ben and his family were just so much more engaging. We cannot take Vilgax seriously as a threat in this immature format either. If you’ve seen the newer show, just don’t expect the characters to be any different in this film.

In all fairness, the 2016 “Ben 10” series and this film are not awful. Parts of it are mildly amusing and some very young kids will no doubt love it. However, the problem is that it’s just got nothing on the vastly superior original “Ben 10” series. The “Ben 10” franchise has always had comedic elements but when you strip away the action and the drama, all you have is something goofy. If you like the newer series then you are probably going to enjoy this film. If you are like me, just stick to the older “Ben 10” content and leave this alone.