Astro Boy is a blast, a jolt of Japanese anime channeled through British slap-shtick that ends up yet another cool cartoon for both kids and adults.
Astro Boy (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:85
Fresh:41
Rotten:44
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: While it isn't terribly original, and it seems to have a political agenda that may rankle some viewers, Astro Boy boasts enough visual thrills to please its target demographic.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some action and peril, and brief mild language.
Genre: Childrens
Theatrical Release:Oct 23, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $19,073,382
Synopsis:
Few characters have made as powerful or as lasting an impression on international popular culture as Astro Boy. The little robot first appeared in 1951 as a character in the celebrated artist and...
Few characters have made as powerful or as lasting an impression on international popular culture as Astro Boy. The little robot first appeared in 1951 as a character in the celebrated artist and animator Osamu Tezuka’s legendary manga(Japanese comic book) and became an instant icon. He was subsequently featured as the star of his own television series in both black-and white and in color, eventually airing in over 40 countries. Astro Boy created the standard for a new form of animation that has become world famous as anime.
Now for the first time, Astro Boy will be brought to life on the big screen. Created with breathtaking computer animation from Imagi Studios, the film Astro Boy is a thrilling tale of a true hero. The film is set to debut in theaters on October 23, 2009.
Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist named Dr. Tenma (Nicolas Cage). Powered by positive “blue” energy, Astro
Boy (Freddie Highmore) is endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly. Embarking on a journey in search of acceptance, Astro Boy encounters many other colorful characters along the way. Through his adventures, he learns the joys and emotions of being human, and gains the strength to embrace his destiny. Ultimately learning his friends and family are in danger, Astro Boy marshals his awesome super powers and returns toMetro City in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and to understand what it means to be a hero. --© Summit
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Bill Nighy, Freddie Highmore
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Bill Nighy, Freddie Highmore, Donald Sutherland, Eugene Levy, Nathan Lane, Matt Lucas, Sterling Beaumon, Madeline Carroll, Charlize Theron
Director: David Bowers
Director: David Bowers
Screenwriter: Timothy Harris, David Bowers
Studio: Summit Entertainment
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Reviews for Astro Boy
It may creep some people out -- parents more than children, no doubt.
The CGI animation is crisp and colorful, the characters have some complexity and there is clever enough writing to keep the parents amused while the kids have fun.
What Astro Boy has in spades are energy, good humor, and the demolition-derby action of a superhero smash-up, reasons enough to recommend it to grade-school boys.
Osamu Tezuka’s groundbreaking 60s anime series gets a stylish CGI update in this sci-fi animation.
It's a totally serviceable reboot for young people who are just discovering the joys of manga, but I can't help but miss the raw animation and even rawer emotional aesthetics of Tezuka's original televised anime series.
Like a lot of movies, Astro Boy has been designed to function on different levels and serve different audiences, but in this case these multiple meanings and points of address have created a confusion of tone.
Tenma wisely powers the boy's heart with positive energy, something that spreads to the movie as well.
Astro Boy provides all of the elements needed to create a super hero movie, but it lacks soul.
While the film retains some of the DNA of the original TV series, it bears more similarity to such recent fare as Wall-E and Transformers.
This computer-animated adaptation of the 1950s-created future boy from Osamu Tezuka, the godfather of Japanese manga, is actually a sweet and endearing movie.
It's not every kids movie that features the death --nay, vaporization! -- of its protagonist in the first reel, but Astro Boy somehow manages this trick without resulting in massive amounts of juvenile emotional trauma.
The animation style is supple and assured. And if the audience includes any precocious kids like Toby, they'll be diverted by references to Isaac Asimov and Immanuel Kant.
Lacklustre design and rudimentary storytelling sink Astro Boy below the level of the recent hits of Pixar and DreamWorks.
Latest News for Astro Boy
October 22, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Astro Boy Doesn't Quite Soar
This week at the movies, we've got an anime hero (Astro Boy, with voice work from Kristen Bell and Nicolas Cage); a vampire war ( Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant,... More...
October 03, 2009:
Astro Boy: Movie Review, Photos, Trailer, Poster ![]()
More...
September 27, 2009:
New: View the Brand New Trailer Here. ![]()
More...
August 12, 2009:
Trailer Bulletin: Astro Boy ![]()
The full official trailer for Imagi's anime feature finally arrives. More...
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