Max Winslow and the House of Secrets is what happens when film makers just try too hard but do not have what it takes to create a well-told story.

Besides that nearly everything about this movie is derivative of other recent works - the phrasing of the title is the first clue of how prominently this movie depends upon familiarity with the cinema productions of the past few years - what is at the heart of the issues with MWatHoS is that it just doesn't work in the end.

The final scenes are very, very disappointing. It's as if the writers just gave up. And the movie is short so adding another 10 minutes or so of a more meaningful climax and solution did not happen by wanting to cut short an overly long production.

The main characters are very one dimensional, simple takes on personalities. Even classics like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory present stereotyped children with more meat than what is found here.

And the continued treatment of computers as magical machines is ironic, but I guess the presentation of a "tech" billionaire as a savior is pretty on-target for the current society.

I do not recommend paying to watch this movie. If it comes on TV as an afternoon special then perhaps some kids may find it entertaining.

When I watched this, I was reminded of the typical family channel type movies, I used to see as a child. It's a simple/safe film, turn your brain off, and let the kids enjoy the pretty lights.

I didn't hate this movie. It was very entertaining at moments. But, of course, it had terrible acting, a confusing plot, and just felt underdeveloped. I was hoping for more exciting scenes in this huge high-tech mansion. The whole concept of fixing someone is a reach but alright. I didn't think Max had such a huge problem. She seemed like a basic teenage girl going through life. And do you know how many teens have issues yet Chad Michael Murray picks these specific teens? It's odd. I will say the directing and lighting in this movie was fantastic. Overall, this could've have been so much better.