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Starring |
Nicolas Cage
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Freddie Highmore
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Kristen Bell
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Donald Sutherland
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Bill Nighy
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Directed By |
David Bowers
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Running Time |
94 mins
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UK Release Date |
February 5, 2010
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Genre |
Sci-fi, Animation, Family
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Our Rating |
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User Rating |
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Astro Boy (based on the 1960s Japanese cartoon of the same name) is set in Metro City, which lies in the clouds above planet Earth. People still live on Earth but they are shunned by the inhabitants of Metro City as wastrels of a bygone society.
Dr Tenma (Nicolas Cage) and Dr Elefun (Bill Nighy) are scientists trying to harness the power of positive blue energy (sounds like the stuff Dr Manhattan used in Watchmen), whilst also stopping President Stone using negative red energy to power his Peacekeeper robots that will be used to declare war upon and destroy or enslave the inhabitants of Earth.
Toby (Freddie Highmore) is Dr Tenma’s son, an incredibly intelligent and likable young boy. He is accidentally killed by a Peacekeeper robot that has been subjected to red energy, and so his father attempts to recreate him in the form of a robot powered by blue energy. He becomes Astro Boy. President Stone wants the blue energy to power his Peacekeeper robots so he tries to hunt down and destroy Astro Boy, who flees to Earth in an attempt to escape both his father, who has by now rejected him, and the power-crazed President Stone.
Voicing animated characters is always a difficult job. Sometimes it’s done perfectly and other times it’s done terribly. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions as to which animated movies fall in to which category, but it’s obvious that big name actors do not always make the best voice over actors. In the case of Astro Boy, Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage and Bill Nighy all do a good job. The rest of the cast are pretty much middle of the road. As for Charlize Theron as the narrator – if you miss the first few seconds of the film, you’ll miss her too… she must have about five lines in total!
As for the story, well it’s not exactly the greatest tale ever told but there’s enough to tax the mind of an 8 year old so it’s probably pitched about right.
Will Astro Boy save the inhabitants of Earth? Will President Stone get punished? Will Dr Tenma see the error of his ways and learn to accept and love Toby even as Astro Boy? I think it’s safe to say that all of these happenings will transpire in a safe but vaguely entertaining way.
Well you’re not expecting some sort of post-modern ending, are you? It may not be the best animated offering ever, but Astro Boy just about does the job.
Final Verdict: Astro Boy is fun for kids and offers adults some enjoyment as well.
Reviewer: Kevin Stanley
