Nano Maciá I did not see "Astroboy" old animated TV series. So, I had no idea before seeing this film together with my 5 years old son. Although he liked it, I was really disappointed. In "Astroboy", a father first raises his son as a robot, but at that time he is never present (see scene with the dialog between the child and a hologram of his father within the car). Later, once the child dies, the father raises a robot trying to get a child instead. A detestable idea. But he persists in raising something not as a child, giving him books totally inadequate for a child. The story is plagued of scenes of torture on a child: Toby confined in a jail with no windows; Toby suffering explosions of missiles on him; Toby rejected by Dr. Tenma, his father, with rude, direct words; Toby have to fight with an iron monster... and so on. What about the children on the surface? (the third world?)(SPOILER) When Cora finally find her parents, they just say "where were you?" That's all? What is the concept of family or parenthood for the director/writer? In some part, the "revolutionary" robots from the surface tease on the Asimov's laws on robotics. It was very offensive for a talented author as Asimov and their readers as me. Even the pathetic characters of these robots (what they say and how they look) seems a contempt for any revolution. For me, reconciliation between Astroboy and Dr. Temna was a sad ending, not a happy ending. But I could find a positive point in the story: only other children were able to find a human being in a robot seeming a child, not the adults. At less something with hope! (SPOILER) Finally, there are a lot of things too similar to other films: mountains of discharged items from civilization as in "WallE", the very ending with an unexpected alien as in "The Incredibles", the entire process of creation of Astro as in "Frankenstein", the design of the army as in "Star Wars", many resemblances with "The Iron Giant"… Too many coincidences. Good animation technique in fact. But digital animation is not enough to make a good film.

I B Like many anime this film, which is loosely based on the Astro Boy manga, has dark themes but it's still a good entertaining release by director David Bowers. The computer animation has a polished vibrant look which fits the science-fiction story well. Astro Boy is a story about finding oneself and doing good. Its message is that if you do good you will be rewarded for it. And it's a good message, especially for children. This, along with other lessons, makes Astro Boy an excellent film for children. It features the voices of Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, Eugene Levy, Bill Nighy, Donald Sutherland, Charlize Theron and Nicolas Cage. Some adults may find the film simple but it doesn't cease to entertain so sitting through it is definitely not a chore. Just don't expect a great animated film. The animation here is often gorgeous and the action, which features fights between robots, is exciting. There's also a fair amount of comedy. When Astro Boy was released in 2009 I didn't go to see it in a movie theater. But I should have. This film has heart, or rather a glowing blue core of positive energy. I recommend seeing it.

ebiros2 Based on a manga by the late Osamu Tezuka, this US version of Astro Boy only takes cursory hint from the original story, and reinvents the entire story.Dr. Tenma loses his son Tobi, and to substitute for the loss, creates the robot Astro Boy in the image of his late son.First, the image of this movie is very dark. I see this frequently in 3D animation. I guess it's to hide some weakness that's yet to be overcome in this technology, but this makes things look creepy. A movie that's targeted (I believe) for young audience looks like horror movie in its visuals. Second, the charm that was there in the original Astro Boy saga has been totally stripped away in this Hollywood version. It's increased "reality" is in the wrong direction, and slowed the story down considerably. This often happens in movies translated from original comics (Like Marvel's Fantastic Four). The original manga had lot more speed, and brilliance to the story. It's recommended that Tezuka's manga be read, and '60s TV anime series seen before seeing this movie. '60s anime series was supervised by Tezuka himself, and there were lot more emotion, and action to Astro Boy's character. People surrounding Astro Boy were lot more "human" as well. Even the more recent TV anime series had better pace than this movie.So not a very good translation from the original material, and is not recommended for viewing.

dunmore_ego The points in his hair are as iconic as Mickey Mouse's ears; they exist in their own reality, where they are always seen, no matter the angle of his head! It's ASTRO BOY, Osamu Tezuka's manga creation from the 1950s. Cartooned in the 1960s in Japan, then re-cartooned in the '80s (remember those cute cartoons with his big pointy head and bigger eyes, where they couldn't even synch the "Oouah!" exclamation - over a mouth position that looked like "Oouah!"?); now re-rendered in CG animation - where Astro's spikes must necessarily migrate from one side of his head to the other in different shots so we can still always see them. (These things affect me; what can I say?) The cartoon was cuter because his head was bigger. Still, ASTRO BOY has a lot of heart; it's an adult cartoon clothed in tiny metal undies and yeti boots.Young Brit Freddie Highmore voices the 2009 Astro, speaking with an American accent - but isn't Astro (aka "Tetsuwan Atomu," "Iron Arm Atom") Japanese? He was styled like a 10-year-old boy in the cartoons, but here, Astro is definitely at an older age of latent lust, so that he can tent his metal undies in the direction of tween Cora (voiced by Kristen Bell, whose spinner blondness surely deserves tenting ovations, if it weren't for Astro being a robot whose man-apparatus, we suspect, is non-existent). Onward...Like a junior version of FRANKENSTEIN meets PET SEMATARY, Astro starts as a human boy named Toby, who is disintegrated in a lab experiment. Very gruesome. In the throes of despair, Toby's scientist father, Dr. Tenma (Nicolas Cage) recreates his son as a robot, implanting all Toby's memories and breathing life into his creation with an inexplicable "blue energy life force." Tenma ultimately rejects the robot boy for reminding him of his lost son (uh, I thought that was the idea) in a sad scene, that also raises questions about artificial intelligence.How do we discern between true emotion and "programmed" emotion? Toby loves Tenma as a father because Tenma programmed Toby that way. Though aren't we all "programmed" from youth with principles, fears, insecurities, and a love for yeti boots? What is "love" from a child toward its parents except devotion/gratitude for sustenance and protection? But Tenma wants "real love" from the young automaton - whatever that is - not programmed love.The themes are deep, and rife for endless discussion, over resurrection (for Christies), anatta (for Buddhies), soul transmigration (for Hindies) and katra (for Vulcans).But to keep it light (for kiddies), light up those yeti boots and let's punch some evil robots! Astro lives on Metro City, floating above Earth, the Metro government dumping their garbage on Earth's surface. After discovering his super powers (flight, super strength, power rays - and butt guns! Now I get it: Ass-tro Boy!), a chase scene leaves Astro stranded and an exile on Earth's surface, where he meets Cora and her outlaw gang of kids - and a dog-bot named Trashcan who reminds us of R2-D2. As Astro must go through adversity trying to regain his home and father, movie takes on shades of Pinocchio. Ironically, Astro also gets wood for Cora.Bill Nighy voices big-nosed Dr. Elephun; Eugene Levy is a stooping, flustered butler robot; Nathan Lane is Hamegg, the robot-gladiator pimp, who looks exactly like Nathan Lane.Matt Lucas (LITTLE Britain) is Sparx, heading a trio of British robots (The Robot Revolutionary Front) who have been watching too much Python. Very interesting that the robots of this world are acquainted with Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics.Donald Sutherland is the evil president of Metro City, whose campaign slogan is, "It's Not Time For Change" (obviously styled after John Boehner), who is subsumed by the giant evil robot whose life force is the "red energy." (Get it? Blue, good, democrats; red, evil, Republicans.)Astro proves his worth as an all-round effeminate nice guy by battling robots and doing good deeds (he even holds up the whole of Metro City, which makes him pretty much as strong as Superman), but this movie's mettle is revealed when Astro is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice - and he never flinches - as he goes Shirtless Kirk in his death plunge into the heart of the evil Republican robot. The mark of a true hero, the likes of which senile coward John McCain could never fathom.Even though everyone treats Astro like a unique creation, his father should have Astro's master files somewhere, so if Astro "dies" it should not be too much of a task to download another Toby robot. At least, not as hard as getting a Republican to stop lying. And the "blue energy" that makes Astro kind and strong and metrosexual is also merely a matter of technology. (Astro's sacrifice is diluted if we realize this, so they treat him as a one-off, almost as if he has become a Real Boy at the climax... cough--Pinocchio--cough.) Movie trips over its feet when Tenma reconciles with Astro at the end, "You may not be Toby, but you're still my son." Shouldn't that be "You may not be my son" (they are not bound in blood) "but you're still Toby" (Toby's programs are swirling Astro's master processing unit)? Who's laughing now, Carlo Collodi?