Couldn't agree with you more here. The first few episodes of Alien Force were alright, but I could already tell signs that it was lacking... obviously a good majority of their episodes, for some reason, took place during the night as opposed to day, Ben was casual but lacked serious appeal from his original bratty self. I disliked young Ben from time to time, but at least he stood out, and would NOT be put down out of focus by his cousin and arch nemesis dating.
We need more clever shows like this, that are build to only last a while to make a GOOD lasting impression, not some Cash Cow Franchise that oversteps its popularity because it pays the big bucks. EVERY SHOW FACES THIS AT ONE POINT, and every executive person out there is a fool to think otherwise. Ben 10, sadly, is no exception, but I'll remember the creative lighthearted play the first show gave me at least.
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One of the better modern animated shows.
Ben 10 is a series that is basically a homage to "Dial H for Hero" WITH ALIENS! However, it's much Better Than It Sounds. It was created and produced by Man of Action, which is actually a group of four former comic writers. And it has a sort of "classic comic book" feel to it, like how alot of good comics were before the medium decided that Darker And Edgier was the best way to go.
The hero is Ben Tennyson, who is 10 years old and posseses the Omnitrix, which can transform him into 10 different kinds of alien. Gee, wonder why this show is called Ben 10? He is on summer vacation, travelling the country in an RV with his 10 year old cousin Gwen and their Grandpa Max, who is a retired member of a Men-In-Black-esque organization. The settings for stories are limitless, there is a big Rogues Gallery collected and contended with, and quite often the stories range from decent to really good, especially in the first two of four seasons.
Now, this show definately has it's flaws. The biggest one would be the progression of Ben and Gwen's characters and relationship. At the start, their constant bickering with each other is funny, and endearing considering it's obvious that the two really love each other (No, not in THAT way...at least, I don't think so.) However, as the show goes on, this relationship remains exactly the same and doesn't develop in any real way. As a result, the arguments become less funny and more annoying. Ben and Gwen's personalities don't mature much either past the first two seasons, something that's particulalry irritating with Gwen because she is seldom called out for it, reaching Canon Sue levels in the process.
Also, while the Rogue Gallery's "Big Three" (Vilgax, Kevin 11, and Ghostfreak) are appropriately villainous, it would have been nice to see more villains that had humanizing qualities. As it stands, the only two in the show that have them are Enoch of the Forever Knights, who holds his honor as a knight in serious regard despite doing bad things, and Charmcaster, niece of her abusive uncle Hex and who, though also evil, is ultimately against him as well and more interested in self-gain crimes than world domination.
Ben 10 ain't perfect. But as it is, it's one of the better animated shows in recent years, and I'd personally recommend checking it out.