Game on for Scott Adkins in ‘Max Cloud’
Scott Adkins, long a star of low-budget martial arts movies, changes pace with Friday’s 1980s-inspired video game action comedy “Max Cloud.”
“I wanted something different and this broad comedy is something I’ve not done before,” Adkins, 44, said from his Birmingham, England, home last week.
“It’s not going to alienate people too much because it’s got the action people expect from my movies. But it’s obviously wildly different from anything I’ve done before, kind of from left field.
“It is a leap of faith when you do these projects with people you never worked with before but that’s what this business is all about.”
Max Cloud is a space hero — also egocentric, clueless, arrogant, and a bit of an idiot.
“Oh,” joked Adkins, “I was just being myself. Couldn’t you tell?
“No doubt he’s a fine hero. When it comes down to it you’re better off having Max Cloud by your side.
“But he’s got no social skills … thinks he has all the answers when he doesn’t. And he’s a bit of a dink.
“So that’s really the journey, to realize he hasn’t quite got it all figured out in life.”
The constant action sees Max dispatch scores of black-hooded baddies with a knife. He’s also casual with epithets. Is this for kids?
“Let’s be honest,” Adkins answered. “When I was a kid, 12 or whatever, one of the best films we watched was ‘Gremlins.’ It’s like made for kids, right? You’ve got this little furry thing and it’s funny. But is it?
“They put them in blender. There is some bad language. It’s quite violent — they’re hanging the dog by its neck. When it’s a little bit edgy like that — and as long as you don’t go too far — kids love it.
“I know it’s a fine line. That’s what we’re trying to do with this.”
Adkins, married and a father of two, fell in love with judo and then movies as a kid. Hong Kong martial arts actioners kickstarted his career.
“I don’t suppose I realized it at the time but the gift was to know exactly what I wanted from life. I guess most people don’t,” he reflected.
“To me it was crystal clear. A calling, what I desperately wanted, the two things I loved — martial arts and movies. It just made sense. Yeah, I knew exactly what I wanted. And I had tunnel vision because nothing was going to stop me.
“Lucky for me it worked out. I don’t know what I would have done otherwise.”
“Max Cloud” is available for streaming Friday