Ben 10: Alien Swarm (NR, 2009)

Teenage Ben Tennyson (Ryan Kelley) and his pals are part of a secret organization, the Plumbers, that's dedicated to protecting the world from evil extraterrestrial invaders. But when an old friend suddenly comes back into his life, Ben has to make a choice. Will he help Elena (Alyssa Diaz), whose father may be involved with a dangerous alien conspiracy, or will he side with Grandpa Max (Barry Corbin), the Plumbers leader who threw Elena’s dad out of the group years ago?

BEN 10: ALIEN SWARM is based on the popular Ben 10 animated shows, and it loses little moving from animation to live action. The main effect that young fans will be watching for, of course, is Ben’s Omnitrix, a gadget that looks like an oversized wristwatch and gives him the ability to transform into a variety of alien shapes. This comes in handy when he has to battle the Hive and its millions of nanotech robotic chips. Ben gets backup from his cousin, Gwen (Galadriel Stineman), and their friend Kevin (Nathan Keyes), who both have their own abilities; together they're a formidable force.

The original cartoon series started when Ben was a 10-year-old boy, and Ben 10: Alien Force picked up five years later. Now he’s an older teen --  driving cars, making his own decisions, and definitely paying attention to girls. But the film is still age-appropriate for younger viewers -- the fight scenes are relatively tame, and the romantic subplots are very restrained. Fans of the cartoons will like this entry in the franchise, and there’s no reason why tweens can't watch.