Customer Reviews

Max is Missing

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Not only is the storyline great but much can be learned about the culture of Peru and the history of the Inca. Kids, as well as adults, love following the boys as they make their way through Peru and get a good look at the country, geography, and people as well. The adventure keeps you in suspense. At the end of the video you'll be saying "Goooooood-byeeeee."

I use this film with my 6th grade students to show some of the scenery of Peru, along with some Incan traditions. The situation (a boy dragged along on a trip with his father and girlfriend) is something the students can relate to as well, since many kids today are from split families. The action and the acting in the movie are not topnotch, but acceptable. Again, the movie serves a purpose in my classroom, to give my students a better idea of what Peru is like.

While undeniably a movie made for pre-teens, "Max Is Missing" features some spectacular Peruvian scenery including not just majestic Andean ridges and peaks, but a rollicking barrel ride down the Urubamba River and plenty of Cuzco, the Incan capital city. Somewhat bumbling but ruthless crooks led by the always-menacing Charles Napier have gotten their hands on a Pachacuti idol after forcing one of their own who tried to abscond with it over a cliff to his death at Machu Picchu, but not before the man has secreted the native artifact in young Max's backpack.

In his flight from the huaqueros, Max (Toran Caudell) is targeted by Juanito (Victor Rojas), a spry, swift, switchback-traversing Indian huckster around the same age that insists upon condescendingly calling him 'Jim' and resorts to making him feel guilty through spite when unable to talk Max out of his portable CD player, deciding instead to run off with his backpack and comes upon its treasure when the American demonstrates a disproportionate concern about it .....there's also been a bit of friction between Max and Robbie, his journalist father, even before getting off the train at the mountain's base for a notoriously harrowing bus trip up to the site; he resents him for beginning to see Rebecca, the pixie-ish photographer accompanying them, presumably too soon after divorcing his mother.

Admittedly, the strained ties between father and son is a somewhat worn plot device but when "Max Is Missing" does occasionally drag, the rugged backdrop salvages it; tumbling down the rapids in seemingly mortal peril and seeing the shore rush by, Max and Juanito don't have any choice but to work together and eventually thwart Becker's slightly inept heavies, but not before Robbie and Rebecca are kidnapped, to Max's understandable horror. Their path leads them to the museum in Cuzco through a Quechua mystic woman's puzzling forecast for their future, as well as a climactic confrontation at the cyclopean fortress walls of Sacsayhuaman, the timely native reenactment subtly lit by torches and assisted by the sympathetic museum curator's brother.

"Max Is Missing" acts as both a fantastic travelogue and young adult tale of self-discovery. I highly recommend this made-for-cable movie to anyone that has a deep appreciation of Machu Picchu and the Incan culture, or even those who just want to vicariously experience it for the first time!

Excellent movie for those who have visited or have wanted to visit these ancient sites in Peru. Very interesting for myself (75 years +) and for children of the age of the lead character. An adventure story of a young boy in Peru. A story of the magic which was ancient Peru and is still there.

Young Max is not too thrilled about being dragged along with his dad and his dad's new girlfriend as they explore Incan ruins in Peru as research for a journal article. Cute actor Toran Caudell is a real joy to watch as he gives both a subdued yet bravura performance. Not wanting to hang around with his dad, Max goes off to explore on his on. But things take a frightening turn for him when a dying man gives him something and tells him not to let anyone get it. Max later discovers that the object is an ancient Incan artifact of great value, and he soon realizes he is being chased by the two grave robbers who originally found the object. They know its true value and are planning to sell it to a foreign buyer. Max is none too happy about being caught up in all this melodrama. He just wants to go home. But as the adventure progresses, he comes to understand that he is involved in something much bigger than he had ever imagined.

On a personal level, I was so taken by the way Toran Caudell could perform both dramatic and comic lines equally well and with such great conviction. His performance is greatly underrated by critics. At one point, earlier in the movie, when Max had experienced about all the excitement he could stand, he turns to his friend Juanito and says with all seriousness, "when I get home I'm gonna stay in my room til I die." That line totally encapsulated how Max felt about everything that was happening. But as you will discover, by the end of the movie Max has come to understand why he was chosen to fulfill the mission that was thrust upon him. I guess you could say he became the reluctant hero.

MAX IS MISSING, an entertaining juvenile adventure set in Peru, is sparked by a good cast, crisp direction and beautiful location filming. Despite his objections, young Max is on vacation in Peru with his dad and his dad's new girlfriend. What begins as an uneventful visit to Machu Picchu turns into a suspenseful attempt to elude capture by a pair of inept but persistent villains. Max comes into possession of a sacred Incan artifact, unwillingly partners up with a young Indian panhandler his own age, and the chase is on. Having visited Peru myself a few years ago, watching this movie is like being there again. Breathtaking Machu Picchu, the roaring Urubamba River, intriguing Cuzco, the winding Peruvian Railway, inspiring and mysterious Sacsayhuaman -- what backdrops for adventure indeed.