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Steamboy (2004)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.1/10
Reviews Counted: 88
Fresh: 52 | Rotten: 36

The story isn't the greatest, but there's an abundance of sci-fi eye candy to compensate.

Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 28
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 12

The story isn't the greatest, but there's an abundance of sci-fi eye candy to compensate.

audience

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Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 14,447

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Movie Info

Katsuhiro Otomo, director of the groundbreaking anime feature Akira (1988), returns with this visually striking fusion of the past and the future. It's the Industrial Age in England, reimagined, and various and sundry inventors and scientists are arriving in Britain to hawk their products while capitalism rears its ugly head. A gadget-happy British lad named Ray (voice of Anna Paquin) receives a mysterious package from his grandfather Lloyd Steam (Patrick Stewart) -- a tiny ball that turns out

PG-13, 2 hr. 6 min.

Drama, Animation, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Directed By: Katsuhiro �tomo

Written By: Sadayuki Murai

In Theaters: Mar 18, 2005 Wide

On DVD: Jul 26, 2005

Box Office:$0.3M

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Steamboy Trailer & Photos

Cast

Anne Suzuki
Ray Steam
Manami Konishi
Scarlett O'Hara
Katsuo Nakamura
Dr Loyd Steam
Masatane Tsukayama
Eddie Steam (Japanese V...
Kiyoshi Kodama
Robert Stephenson
Susumu Terajima
Freddie
Satoru Saito
Ikki Sawamura
David
Anna Paquin
James 'Ray' Steam
Alfred Molina
Dr Eddie Steam
Patrick Stewart
Lloyd Steam
Kari Wahlgren
Scarlett O'Hara
Robin Atkin Downes
David
Rick Zieff
Simon
Mark Bramhall
Alfred
David Lee
Jason
Oliver Muirhead
Admiral
Oliver Cotton
Robert Stephenson
Kim Thomson
John, Mother
Paula Jane Newman
Emma, Henry
Moira Quirk
Alex, Thomas
Peter Lavin
Julian Stone
William Hootkins
Alan Shearman
Rosalind Ayres

Critic Reviews for Steamboy

All Critics (97) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (56) | Rotten (36) | DVD (19)

It's a sensationally designed piece of work.

August 19, 2005 Full Review Source: Village Voice

| Comment

J. Hoberman

Village Voice

Top Critic

Its problem is not a lack of things to look at. There's plenty of them, and they're all cool. It's just that, in this world of clanking, hissing machines, even the people seem like robots.

May 20, 2005 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Top Critic

The movie never transcended its elaborate production work to achieve an independent reality. It's simply pictures of what never happened.

May 20, 2005 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Stephen Hunter

Washington Post

Top Critic

Steamboy, ultimately, shares deep-seated themes with the futuristic Akira. Both offer cautionary tales about scientific responsibility and the evils of war. And both look pretty cool, too.

March 25, 2005 Comment

Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

Top Critic

Steamboy is breathtakingly detailed and ambitious beyond anything I have ever seen in the realm of animation. But the chase goes on much too long, and Ray and Scarlett are never still long enough to develop any inner resonance or romantic rapport.

March 24, 2005 Full Review Source: New York Observer

| Comment

Andrew Sarris

New York Observer

Top Critic

Despite its wild dreams, it becomes just another rusty piece of animated machinery, going through the motions somewhat mechanically.

March 24, 2005 Comment

Tom Long

Detroit News

Top Critic

Animated film is too violent for younger kids.

December 15, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment (1)

Charles Cassady

Common Sense Media

The film's extended debates on the ethics of science, government and personal responsibility would recommend it to critics of a medium that too often panders to audiences.

February 22, 2007 Full Review Source: Film Journal International

| Comment

Rex Roberts

Film Journal International

Visually impressive, but I thought it was never going to end.

March 7, 2006 Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope

| Comment

Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

It may be one of the most expensive anime features ever, but there isn't a wealth of entertainment on offer in Steamboy.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: BBC

| Comment

Matthew Leyland

BBC

This is as close to the great Speed Racer hero of my generation that this generation has come up with so far.

September 21, 2005 Full Review | Comment

Michael Szymanski

International Press Academy

This being a "Collector's Gift Set", it's not only the DVD that has some good extras...

July 29, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat

| Comment

Rory L. Aronsky

Film Threat

In the movies, action doesn't necessarily equal a reaction.

July 29, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat

| Comment

Rory L. Aronsky

Film Threat

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Steamboy

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Not at all what I was expecting, but enjoyable none the less. A bit long in my opinion, but lots of cool concepts and visuals.

May 8, 2009

Robert C

Super Reviewer

This Japanese computer-generated anime is cool, starts out as a nice Jule Verne-style adventure, but the story is too complicated and talky to maintain momentum. Animation of the machines is smooth and graceful, but the characters are stiff and charmless.

May 13, 2007

Dean McKenna

Super Reviewer

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Latest News for Steamboy

November 18, 2005:

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