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Movies / Upcoming / Astro Boy
Astro Boy

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Astro Boy (2009)

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Reviews Counted:83

Fresh:40

Rotten:43

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.

Genre: Action/Adventure

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 [More]

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

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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Almost 60 years after his comic-book inception, the iconic Japanese robot Astro Boy finally makes his cinematic debut in a feature that, unfortunately, feels as if it has been assembled from spare parts.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
10/16/09
Tim Grierson
Tim Grierson
Screen International

Astro Boy is better than most of its recent competitors, such as Monsters vs. Aliens and Kung Fu Panda.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 14 Comments
10/22/09
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is nothing more than indoctrination to Marxism. Is this what you want your kids watching for a Saturday matinee?

Full Review Source: Outtakes With Fiore | comment 11 Comments
10/22/09
Fiore Mastracci
Fiore Mastracci
Outtakes With Fiore

The symbolism and the underlying themes within this story may not be relevant to its core audience, but it's interesting to see how filmmakers feed off those elements

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment 7 Comments
10/08/09
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile

Parents, don't nap while the kids watch.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment 7 Comments
10/23/09
Nancy Churnin
Nancy Churnin
Dallas Morning News

If you think it's a good idea to begin a movie for children by killing off a young boy in an industrial accident as his father looks on, raise your hand. Anyone?

Full Review Source: Beliefnet | comment 6 Comments
10/22/09
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Beliefnet

What transpires is a tolerable knock-off of the boom-boom bits from The Incredibles, along with some so-so slapstick filler.

Full Review Source: Herald Sun (Australia) | comment 4 Comments
10/14/09
Leigh Paatsch
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)

The cheap '60s Japanese TV cartoon series... is updated into a cheap and sometimes unsettling computer-animated adventure.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment 4 Comments
10/22/09
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

There's very little that the filmmakers haven't borrowed here, making Astro Boy feel as copied as its title character.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment 3 Comments
10/23/09
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

David Bowers' retro-cool update on the titular icon looks so great, it may take a while to notice it's a clunky political parable wrapped in a tonally confused fairy tale.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment 2 Comments
10/23/09
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News

Astro Boy definitely sets himself up for a sequel, and the overall scenario is ripe to explore many current issues. But let's hope the creators trade in the well-used parts for some fresh material.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment 2 Comments
10/23/09
Jennie Punter
Jennie Punter
Globe and Mail

a big selling point for my kids to see this movie was the line, 'I have machine guns... in my butt?' Viewer, be warned.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment 2 Comments
10/23/09
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Astro Boy is a marvelously designed piece of cartoon kinetics, with the pleasing soft colors and rounded-metal tactility of an atomic-age daydream.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment 2 Comments
10/21/09
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

Awesome. Truly.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment 1 Comment
10/23/09
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

Serious Tezuka fans will likely appreciate the sharp multi-dimensional presentation, even as they resent Osamu’s being pimped out for Obama.

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment 1 Comment
10/22/09
Chris Faraone
Chris Faraone
Boston Phoenix

I have just one complaint. It should have been 3-D. A solid, kid-friendly story with a floating city filled with high-tech gizmos and gadgets deserves the extra dimension.

Full Review Source: Tri-City Herald | comment 1 Comment
10/25/09
Gary Wolcott
Gary Wolcott
Tri-City Herald

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.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment 1 Comment
10/23/09
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

More than anything, Astro Boy is simply fun to watch.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment 1 Comment
10/31/09
Russ Breimeier
Russ Breimeier
Christianity Today

If all of this sounds a bit heavy, even dark and scary, indeed some of it is. But it's also very funny, action packed and pithy.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment 1 Comment
10/12/09
Tim Cogshell
Tim Cogshell
Boxoffice Magazine

I just felt like this was a mistranslation -- almost trying to combine the slightly sinister, cold world of Japanese anime with the warm, sentimental, fuzzy, bouncy world of Hollywood kid animation.

Full Review Source: At the Movies | comment Comment
10/26/09
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
At the Movies
 
 
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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 Opens in new window
More...

September 27, 2009: New: View the Brand New Trailer Here. Opens in new window
More...

August 12, 2009: Trailer Bulletin: Astro Boy Opens in new window
The full official trailer for Imagi's anime feature finally arrives. More...

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