RATING:


With the recent flux in Anime-to-movie adaptations, it seemed like only a matter of time before Hollywood got its hands on the “Godfather of Anime,” Osamu Tezuka’s “Astro Boy” series.

While the results could have been disastrous, Imagi Animation Studios was able to create a fantastic update to Tezuka’s 57-year-old classic while keeping the spirit of the original and
Tezuka’s style intact.

Set in Metro City, a floating island paradise hovering above a junk-covered Earth, robot inventor Dr. Tenma, (Nicolas Cage) reveals to the president a special new blue-core energy and its unstable counterpart red-core energy. When the war-mongering president tries testing the red-core energy in a military robot, the ensuing chaos accidentally kills Tenma’s son Toby (Freddie Highmore). A grieving Tenma, in an attempt to quell his sorrow, then creates Astro Boy, a robot replica of Toby implanted with Toby’s memories. After being spurned by Tenma for not being enough like Toby, Astro is cast aside and ends up on Earth’s surface where he begins a personal quest to find himself and makes new human and robot friends. Meanwhile, the president starts searching for Astro in order to use his blue-core power source to fuel a machine for war.

While the beginning of the movie feels a little quick and lacking in displaying Tenma’s grief, the story manages to hit its stride and emotional pull once Astro hits the “Wall-E”-esque Earth surface. Despite sounding like a dark tale, “Astro Boy” is still a family movie; but unlike most other CG “family” movies, “Astro Boy” doesn’t devolve into a bunch of crude, cheap laughs.
Comedy in the movie is enjoyable and done sparingly and doesn’t detract from the movie. Although, early on the humor was a tad jarring since things start out rather serious. There are also some great action sequences in the movie that utilize the animation style well and should entertain young and old alike.

While “Astro Boy” does touch on some deep issues like how robots should be treated and where Astro belongs, it doesn’t go as far as it could have with these issues. This may have been intentional, however, in order to have more material for a sequel, which would actually work since that’s what the source material is all about. The movie also could have used an explanation for why, exactly, Tenma decided to give the replica of his son laser-cannon arms, rocket-powered legs and a machine gun in his butt.

“Astro Boy” is a great anime-adaption that should please fans, kids and adults that want to have some fun. While it lacks some of the power of Osamu Tezuka’s writing, it perfectly recaptures the spirit of Tezuka’s work.

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