Superb Family film

My new post is a review for the film Astro Boy...

FILM ONLY REVIEW

Set in the future on a small island which has been lifted into space, Toby lives in Metro City. He is the son of a high powered scientist and he himself is very clever. She leaves school early one day to sneaks off to find his Dad at work and to catch a glimpse of the new robot. Unfortunately the President of Metro City has taken it upon himself to steel some very dangerous red and blue matter which he puts into the robot with disastrous consequences.

Toby is killed and his Dad is heartbroken. He spend the follow few days in his lab working on making a robot of his son, he uses some of Toby’s DNA so he has the same brain power and memories as his own real son. The robot is successful and Toby knows nothing about the accident or the fact he is now a robot. His father is having problems coming to terms with the new Toby and he decides that he must deactivate him. Toby over hears and decides to run away but the President has found out what has happened and that Toby has the blue matter inside him which he wants back.

Toby must now outrun the President and his father in order to stay alive. What is Toby going to do now and how will people react to his new name, Astro Boy?

The plot summery which I have given for this film is very basic and all happens in the first 15 minutes of the film but I felt I could not give any more details as it would spoil the viewing experience for those who may not have seen the film yet, I had to make this point as I don’t want people to think that the film is as basic as I have made out. I was quite looking forward to watching this film as I do tend to like watching the odd children’s film as it means I don’t really have to concentrate very much on what is happening. I did really enjoy this film and both me and hubby had a good few chuckles along the way. We felt the storyline was good and easy for children to follow but there was an element of a few other films included in it. I noticed a few times how it seemed very similar to the film AI but I tried to put this out of my mind and just enjoy what I was watching.

The film is animated and I found it was made to a very high standard. The characters were very life like and all looked good, they all had lots of details and they were given a good amount of facial expressions and mannerisms to actually bring them to life. The lead character Toby / Astro Boy was voiced by Freddie Highmore and I felt he suited the character perfectly. He bought the character to life with the voice and he managed to express a lot of emotions and feelings in the way he delivered his lines. I felt they worked well and seemed to connect very well. The role of his father was voiced by Nicholas Cage and he too did a great job. I knew before the character had started to speak who was behind the voice as he did have a look of Nicholas Cage. He was strong and authoritive but still managed to show a softer side and I felt he did a super job in getting his feelings across just from giving the voice to the character.

We did have some other very good voices and I felt they all seemed to be able to connect with their character and bring them to life. We did have some very good one liners from some of the characters and I felt the actors giving the voices must have had to work very hard to get them to work as well as they were not actually acting or being able to control their animated characters.

The amount of details which were included in all of the shots was great, we had loads and it was made to look like a normal city with the added value of the robots living among us. I felt the place was really bought to life with these added details and I loved how bright and colourful it was for the majority of the film. I loved the setting for the film and felt it worked well. I liked the fact we got to see how Earth had become and how we had adapted to it and I felt it was portrayed in a way which children will be able to understand. The robot were also very good and I loved how simple some of them were and how we would then move to the other end of the spectrum and have the brand new high powered ones. They all looked very good and the majority of them were friendly. I think children will be able to have a good laugh at some of them too.

We do have a good amount of humour in the film, the majority of it comes from visual gags, some of them do require you to look closely at what is happening but the majority of them are very noticeable. The one liners were also very good. I found there was about 2 or three times when both me and hubby chuckled out loud as the humour was more for the parent who were watching with the children. The music was good and very fitting for the film. It was not an excellent soundtrack which really stood out but I did find it suitable and in keeping with the feel and theme of the film.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The running time of the film is 94 minutes and I do think this is a good length and the pace of the story should keep children interested to the very end. The rate is a PG and I tend to agree with this. There is some mild violence in the film, mainly at the end and I don’t think very young viewers will like the appearance of the bad robot at the end. I also think the death of Toby may be a little sad for some young or sensitive viewers. Apart from these few points this is a great family film. The DVD can be bought for around £5 now and I do think this is a good price.

I am more than happy to give this film the full 5 stars and a high recommendation. The story is good and the animation is of a very high standard. I think this is a perfect family film which both children and the adults can enjoy together.