This quick post is about a small little movie I catched on theaters with no expectations. Directed by David Bowers, it's the animation Astro Boy (USA/Japan, 2009).
Based on the 1952 Japanese cartoon anime by Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy takes place on the futuristic Metro City. It all starts when brilliant scientist Dr. Tenma (voice by Nicholas Cage) loses his young son after a work accident. Feeling unmeasurable grief, he decides to build a robot in the image of the boy (Freddie Highmore).
Using advanced technology, Tenma makes the robot undestructible, so that he'll never lose his son again. However, the scientist feels like the robot is unable to fulfill his expectations, the creation abandons the creator and embarks on a journey after acceptance.
No more needs to be said: he'll become a little superhero, Astro Boy, and defend the city against the villains and criminals. Just for the record, the bad-guy is a grandiose delusioned power-obsessed mayor trying to conquest re-election at any cost. (What can I say? It's a kids movie.)
Straight ahead: Astro Boy is not a big animation by a hot-shot studio like Pixar, DreamWorks or Blue Sky. It's just a small movie to pass the time. The story and screenplay are not brilliant and the animation is not Oscar-worthy, but still: it was a decent family movie, at the best after-school specials style.
With a big celebrity cast that also features Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Nighy, Kristen Bell, Charlize Theron and others (wow!), it was an innocent PG-rated adventure to pass the time. It didn't have much projection, due a very discrete release, so it wasn't a big hit - actually it was a flop: US$ 23 million worldwide, against a US$ 65 million budget.
Watch it with the kids, because they'll like it better. But take it easy on the criticism. My rating is 6: not that good, but discrete and entertaining.
>> ZÉ B. [6/10]
IMDB link: HERE
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