Astro Boy remake charming and thoughtful
Vintage manga strip successfully reimagines robot boy vs giant evil robot storyline.
By Hillary TitleyBased on a vintage Japanese cartoon and manga series, Astro Boy arrives with more charm and care than one would expect for yet another pop-culture regurgitation. The plot is typical human vs. machine stuff, or, specifically, boy robot vs. fucking huge, power-mad despot robot, but it doesn’t pander, bore or bullshit. There are no hollow morals, or confusing or questionable motives for the characters. The plot is multifaceted and difficult to sum up simply: A gifted, humanoid robot among disposable slave robots for humans, Astro Boy must overcome human prejudice and hubris as he fights a deranged general, bent on harnessing the robots’ more destructive tendencies. Astro Boy is a more thoughtful film than most for the kids.
Rated PG (MPAA) · 94 min. · 2009
Director: David Bowers
Writer: Timothy Harris, Osamu Tezuka and David Bowers
Producer: Maryann Garger
Cast: Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland, Nicholas Cage, Bill Nighy, Matt Lucas, Samuel L. Jackson and Nathan Lane
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