Ben 10: Alien Swarm

Lore & Background

The film follows Ben Tennyson, Gwen Tennyson, and Kevin Levin as they negotiate with black market dealers selling alien nanochips that interfere with the Omnitrix. The dealer reveals herself as Elena Validis, Ben and Gwen's childhood friend, who seeks help finding her abducted scientist father. The chips spring to life and attack, controlled by a man on a catwalk. The group learns the chips are a hybrid of organic and technological components, and that Elena's father Victor Validis was Max Tennyson's apprentice, dishonorably discharged for stealing the original chips. Ben breaks ranks to help Elena, while Gwen and Kevin discover that 'The Hive'—the mind intelligence behind the chips—is coming to take over the planet by possessing people.

Reader's Guide

Ben 10: Alien Swarm is significant as the second live-action film in the Ben 10 franchise, bridging the animated series Ben 10: Alien Force and its sequel Ben 10: Ultimate Alien. The film introduced the alien Nanomech, a hybrid of Ben's human DNA and the chips. Production faced hurdles from the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike and potential Directors Guild of America strike, leading director Alex Winter to create animatics of action sequences. Three action sequences were shot using IMAX cameras, inspired by Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. The film was nominated for a 2010 Emmy for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Special or Movie. A sequel was cancelled after Cartoon Network distanced itself from live-action projects, though a separate film adaptation was later announced but not produced.

Did You Know?

• The film held its world premiere in London on November 15, 2009.
• Three action sequences were shot using IMAX cameras, inspired by Sam Raimi's Spider-Man.
• The score was recorded with a 71-piece ensemble of the Northwest Sinfonia and Blue Man Group at Bastyr University.
• The film was nominated for a 2010 Emmy for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Special or Movie.