Rating the kid's shows part II, Ben 10

Ben 10 is a cartoon that airs on Nickelodeon regularly. It is centered on ten year old boy, Ben Tennyson (almost as bad as The Riddler's real name being E. Nigma), his grandfather and cousin. Ben apparently has this supercool watch-like device on his wrist that allows him to be temporarily changed into various alien monsters. He, of course, with his grandfather's approval, uses these alien monster powers for good.

This is my son Jonathan's current favorite show to watch, which is why I'm reviewing it first. I certainly can see the appeal for a 9 year old boy. A kid his own age gets to change into alien monsters with nifty powers like blasts of heat, diamond projectiles, awesome brain power and super farts. My son even has a copy of the watch like device called an omni-matrix that he pretends to do the same as what he sees on the show.

The show itself, while full of cliches, isn't terrible for a kids action show. The violence content is much more milder than you'd think and Ben tends to use problem solving more often than say the Power Rangers do. There are some silly moments that kids find funny that we adults may find juvenile, but it doesn't dwell on the gross or rude like many kid shows. I personally couldn't sit through more than one half hour show without reaching boredom, so this show doesn't hit that magical fun for the whole family status that so much entertainment tries to be but rarely is.

But, nonetheless, it is what it is and for a kids action show aimed at 7-12 year old boys it does a good job. While some good "themes" and "educational values" exist in Ben 10, it isn't exclusively designed to be that way. It's a decent spin on your standard superhero fare.

I'll give Ben 10 a 7 out of 10.