Action Man: Robot Atak

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

The first of a trilogy of Direct to DVD CGI movies based on the Action Man toy franchise, Action Man: Robot Atak was released in 2004.

In it, a villain named "No-Face" kidnaps the world's leading toxin specialist, Professor Moran, while disguised as Action Man to frame the hero for the kidnapping. He's targeted Moran in order to get the scientist to make him a mind control gas, but he has other plans, including resurrecting Dr. X, the Big Bad of the earlier animated series and generally causing mayhem the world over with his army of X-Robots. Action Man and Action Force, now wanted men, must escape their base with their gear and vehicles, and go on the run, fighting X-Robots everywhere they go.

When Action Man manages to plant a homing beacon on an X-Robot, they track the machine back to the predictably-named Island X. Action Force assaults the island, discover No-Face and Dr. X's plan to make the entire world their slaves using Professor Moran's mind control gas, and battle them to thwart their evil plan. When Flynt redirects the gas-laden missiles to return to their launch point, the island is destroyed, and the villains with it -- or so Action Man and Action Force believe. But unknown to them, No-Face and Dr. X escape to threaten them another day.

Action Man: Robot Atak was followed by Action Man: X-Missions - the Movie in 2005. The third film in the series, Action Man: Código Gangrena (Action Man: X-Missions - Code Gangrene) was released only in Mexico in 2006.

Tropes used in Action Man: Robot Atak include:
  • The Archer: Redwolf
  • Broad Strokes: Despite the then-recent CGI TV series, the movies seem to follow the 90s animated series, albeit in broad strokes.
  • Clear My Name: Action Man must do this, after No-Face impersonated him to kidnap Professor Moran.
  • Expy: No-Face's appearance and Modus Operandi make him an evil version of Darkman.
  • Freudian Trio: Action Force.
    • Redwolf is the Superego (calm and collected, though with some sense of humor)
    • Action Man is the Ego (as the quintessential action hero, sometimes he makes good planning, but other times he takes impulsive actions to keep the world safe)
    • Flynt is the Id (impulsive and fun-loving)
  • Fun Personified: Flynt.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Island X is destroyed when Flynt redirects the missiles containing the mind control gas back at their launch site.
  • Master of Disguise: No-Face.
  • Mecha-Mooks: The X-Robots
  • Never Found the Body: No-Face and Dr. X survived the destruction of Island X, unbeknownst to Action Man and Action Force.
  • Theme Naming: If it has anything to do with the villains, there's an "X" in its name.
  • "X" Makes Anything Cool: Apparently No-Face thinks so...