Review: 'Astroboy' is a typical entertainer produced with kids in mind

Film: Astroboy
Director: David Bowers
Cast (Voices): Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland, Nicholas Cage, Bill Nighy, Matt Lucas, Samuel L. Jackson, Nathan Lane
Rating: * * 1/2

Mighty Atom a.k.a Tetsuwan Atomu was first introduced  by Osama Tezuka way back in a 1951 manga and was then reintroduced as a live action TV show and cartoon, re-christened as Astroboy. But the rich history and tradition of manga notwithstanding, Astroboy the animation adventure film directed by David Bowers fails to jet you off into the high skies.

The film is an introductory origin story basically giving us an insight into how Toby(Highmore) the gifted son of noted scientist Tenma (Nicholas Cage) loses his life in an experiment gone wrong, following which Tenma recreates a physically alike robot with superhuman powers in order to assuage the grief following his loss.

Then Tenma goes and rejects his own creation because Astroboy is not as alive, bright and human as his son was. Astroboy then finds himself at the bottom of a waste-heap way below the dazzling metro city that was once his home.

Screenwriter Timothy Hyde Harris and co-writer/director Bowers fashion a story that has all the classic cultural references but the narrative has a very mixed-up tone that is lacking in universal appeal. Astroboy’s foray into the darker world of blue and red energy makes for more adult stuff while his superhuman antics are just as likely to appeal to the kids. The unevenness extends further to the animation design which appears lacking in depth and vividness. In fact it’s pretty impossible to believe that an island city exits high-up in the air without any sort of support. The story appears to be distinctly lacking in solidity. Tenma’s rejection of his own creation also appears forced. Astroby is shown as conflicted. When he doesn’t know of his robotic origin he taunts his helper robot but once he discovers the truth, he tries hard to fit in and after a while begins to realise his existence also has a purpose-much bigger than what was originally imagined. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the film. At best it is a typical entertainer produced with kids in mind!