Landman's Andy Garcia Starred In A Failed Sci-Fi Movie Based On A Classic Action Figure Line
"Landman" fans will know Andy Garcia as the deceptively charming cartel leader Danny "Gallino" Morrell. But what many likely won't know is that Garcia co-starred in 2016's "Max Steel," a sci-fi superhero film based on a cartoon that was, in turn, based on Mattel's classic line of action figures. Despite that pedigree, the movie was a massive bomb, bringing in $6.3 million globally and achieving that rare feat of garnering a 0% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
"Landman" has become a major hit for Paramount+, setting the charmingly jaded Billy Bob Thornton loose on the plains of West Texas to wisecrack, pump oil, and contemplate how his life became what he calls "one big tragic cartoon." But while Thornton's performance is the main draw, the show has so much else working in its favor, not least an outstanding ensemble that includes greats such as Demi Moore alongside relative newcomers such as Jacob Lofland, who made his debut in a beloved Matthew McConaughey movie. Then, there's Garcia, whose oddly congenial drug kingpin became a big part of "Landman" season 2, making the show even better than it had been the prior season.
An awful crime thriller convinced Taylor Sheridan to cast Andy Garcia in "Landman" but had the show co-creator seen "Max Steel" he might well have hesitated. The movie is one of the biggest cinematic disasters of the last decade, and one of four films to feature Garcia that earned the dreaded 0% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. But what made it such a blunder? Well, it certainly wasn't the actor, who was one of the only positives in the film.
Max Steel took a cool toy line and ruined it
When it comes to flops, nobody can touch John Travolta, whose worst movies are all zero-percenters on Rotten Tomatoes. But Andy Garcia gave it a good go when he agreed to "Max Steel," which Sam Fragoso of TheWrap described as "an autumnal, amorphous blockbuster that just sits there, suspended in mid-air, as you soak in its ceaseless banality." "Max Steel" was a sci-fi movie so bad it was pulled from theaters, with distributor Open Road Films snatching the movie from screens three weeks after it debuted.
How might such a thing come to be? Well, it began with the "Max Steel" toys back in the late-'90s. As is so often the case, the original action figures were based on a TV series that Mattel had cooked up to ... well, sell toys. But the figures actually hit shelves before the show debuted and became a hit, remaining popular from 1999 to 2012 before the show and toy line were revamped. While there had been several animated films throughout that time, a live-action "Max Steel" movie didn't materialize until 2016.
That big screen debut was directed by Stewart Hendler, who hasn't overseen a feature film since but has worked in TV. "Max Steel" starred Ben Winchell as 16-year-old Max McGrath, who after moving to a new town struggles to fit in. Soon, Max discovers he's able to generate the most powerful energy in the universe, and as luck would have it, an alien by the name of Steel (Josh Brener) happens to be on-hand to symbiotically bond with the teen and create the titular superhero. The rest of the movie involves a similar dynamic to "Venom" but is even worse.
Critics were 'depressed' to see Andy Garcia in Max Steel
In "Max Steel" Andy Garcia plays Dr. Miles Edwards, a scientist who oversees research company N-TEK. It turns out Max McGrath's father used to work for that company before he was killed and as Max learns more about him via flashbacks, it becomes increasingly clear that Dr. Miles isn't exactly on the level. Oh, and there are evil aliens involved, too, but when Joe Leydon of Variety calls a movie "a half-baked, time-wasting curtain-raiser for a superhero franchise that is never, ever going to happen," does it really matter?
"Max Steel" ended up grossing $6.3 million before it was pulled from theaters. Budget estimates range from $10 million to $20 million but either way, nobody made any money. Needless to say, critics didn't like "Max Steel" either. Unlike Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," which broke every Hollywood rule about toy movies to great success, "Max Steel" reinvented large parts of the lore established by the toy line and TV shows that came before, resulting in a movie that didn't earn a single positive review.
As for Garcia, Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter found it "depressing" to see the actor in the film, and suggested starting a fund to "spare talented thespians this sort of career embarrassment." With that in mind, if you find yourself compelled to seek out more Garcia performances after "Landman," Ridley Scott's '80s crime thriller "Black Rain" is a much better call.