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.
Astro Boy (2009)
Tomatometer
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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
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
Reviews for Astro Boy
Astro Boy is better than most of its recent competitors, such as Monsters vs. Aliens and Kung Fu Panda.
This is nothing more than indoctrination to Marxism. Is this what you want your kids watching for a Saturday matinee?
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
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?
What transpires is a tolerable knock-off of the boom-boom bits from The Incredibles, along with some so-so slapstick filler.
The cheap '60s Japanese TV cartoon series... is updated into a cheap and sometimes unsettling computer-animated adventure.
There's very little that the filmmakers haven't borrowed here, making Astro Boy feel as copied as its title character.
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.
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.
a big selling point for my kids to see this movie was the line, 'I have machine guns... in my butt?' Viewer, be warned.
Astro Boy is a marvelously designed piece of cartoon kinetics, with the pleasing soft colors and rounded-metal tactility of an atomic-age daydream.
Serious Tezuka fans will likely appreciate the sharp multi-dimensional presentation, even as they resent Osamu’s being pimped out for Obama.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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