"So, we're well into the series now and I feel like I can safely judge it. I was willing to give it a chance but now it's just starting to feel like a waste of my time.
First of all, I would seriously not recommend the show to anyone of an older age, Cartoon Network were not happy with the darker, mature direction that AF and UA had taken (as this caused toy sales to plummet) and have ordered Omniverse to go a much more childish route.
I wouldn't recommend it to fans of previous Ben 10 shows either. Remember 'Fool's Gold' and 'The Mother Of All Vreedles', i.e. the worst episodes of the entire franchise? Well that's the standard that Omniverse has generally taken.
Story. So, let's start with the stories Omniverse is dealing with. The majority of them are ridiculous. This franchise used to have pretty good logic, but this new show favours comedic situations over anything of real substance. Alien threats have been trivialised, bad guys are now jokes and the good guys are just as bad. As an example to help you understand what I'm talking about, a big pig guy recently attacked Ben because he ate a hamburger... yes, this is what Ben 10 has become. An important note about the plots is that there is no more complexity. It's honestly as if the majority of the stories have been written for the brain-dead... Now, there have been glimpses of greatness. The concept of the 'Nemetrix' serves as a great evil opposition to the Omnitrix, but it rarely gets used as anything more than an obstacle in Ben's way and it hardly ever feels like a real threat. Another thing that works, and is probably the most interesting angle of this series, the fact that we get to see young Ben and teen Ben. But the problem is that it is hardly ever used. This is a recurring theme with Omniverse, there are some good ideas but the execution is absolutely horrid and is seemingly just there to pad out some comedy. Oh, and there's always the episode "Blukic & Driba go to Mr. Smoothy's" which might just be the worst episode of any television show I have ever seen. DO NOT WATCH IT. It isn't just enough to put you off Ben 10, it's enough to put you off television as an entertainment medium all together. What's even more worrying is that this episode is considered one of the maker's favourite.
Design & Animation. I actually don't mind the new look. I certainly don't like it, but I can stomach it. It reflects the tone and style of Omniverse and it lets the same characters be sold again in toy form... I have to admit I love the fact background alien characters aren't just all the same anymore, which was a major problem in AF and UA. In this show, everyone seems to be rather unique and different in their own way.
Characters. Ben has reverted back to being an extremely immature individual. Any character development has been thrown out of the window in favour of setting up a relationship with his new partner, 'Rook', who is extremely serious and serves as an opposite to Ben. What can I say about Rook? Well, he's extremely boring. That's all I can say about Rook. Gwen & Kevin are pretty much always absent for the series, but when they do come back they're great as usual. The plumbers have become a bunch of idiotic, mumbling fools in Omniverse. I was so excited that we would be getting to see more plumbers but most are unbearable to watch. Especially Blukic and Driba. If their dialogue doesn't turn you off, the voice acting will. The baddies have also become a bunch of idiotic, mumbling fools. Are you starting to notice a trend? Seriously, how is the audience meant to believe that any of these villains are an actual threat when they're nothing more than jokes. This is one of the worst things in the show. It is absolutely appalling how characters are being treated. The only villain that seems a threat is Malware, who genuinely is quite scary and has a rather interested backstory. He's one of the few reasons why anyone should watch the show.
Ben 10 Omniverse is completely unlike anything else in the Ben 10 franchise. It's not just a new direction, it's a whole new show. I understand that CN wanted to re-capture children again, but I wouldn't even recommend this for that age group. Whilst we get glimmers of good morals, most of the time characters get away with things that could be bad influences on kids. The stories are un-inspiring, most of the characters fall flat. This is not worthy of the Ben 10 name.
If it weren't for it's predecessors, I would have rated the show a bit higher. But it is a sequel and therefore it must be viewed in context with them. What was once an interesting action franchise, is now a comedic, brainless bore. This is dumbed down Ben 10.
I hope this show sees it end soon but I worry that audiences will lap it up. If we've learnt anything from the television-watching audience these days, it's that most people do not want to think. They want to sit in front of a television and be spoon-fed everything.
I understand this review is highly negative, but as a huge fan of Ben 10 I was sorely disappointed with this offering. I was optimistic and excited about Omniverse but as each episode passed, my faith faded. To end this review I will just state that this franchise has now lost me as a viewer, I refuse to support something of such poor, mindless quality."
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