Astro Boy

David Bowers' retro-cool update on the titular icon looks so great, it may take a while to notice it's a clunky political parable wrapped in a tonally confused fairy tale.

Like its supersonic, jets-in-his-feet hero, the movie itself feels totally robotic.

There's very little that the filmmakers haven't borrowed here, making Astro Boy feel as copied as its title character.

Awesome. Truly.

This is a movie that goes nowhere and offers up little in the way of originality, and while the majority of it is technically well presented the boredom I felt while watching it was almost enough to put me to sleep.

One of the most pleasant surprises I've had at the movies all year.

I just felt like this was a mistranslation -- almost trying to combine the slightly sinister, cold world of Japanese anime with the warm, sentimental, fuzzy, bouncy world of Hollywood kid animation.

Astro Boy is a blast, a jolt of Japanese anime channeled through British slap-shtick that ends up yet another cool cartoon for both kids and adults.

It's a totally serviceable reboot for young people who are just discovering the joys of manga, but I can't help but miss the raw animation and even rawer emotional aesthetics of Tezuka's original televised anime series.

Like a lot of movies, Astro Boy has been designed to function on different levels and serve different audiences, but in this case these multiple meanings and points of address have created a confusion of tone.

Parents, don't nap while the kids watch.

Strictly for small fry.

Osamu Tezuka's groundbreaking 60s anime series gets a stylish CGI update in this sci-fi animation.

While the film retains some of the DNA of the original TV series, it bears more similarity to such recent fare as Wall-E and Transformers.

Tenma wisely powers the boy's heart with positive energy, something that spreads to the movie as well.

Tthis CG-animated adaptation of the Japanese comic classic feels derivative but moderately entertaining, particularly in some of the highflying visuals.

This computer-animated adaptation of the 1950s-created future boy from Osamu Tezuka, the godfather of Japanese manga, is actually a sweet and endearing movie.

The animation style is supple and assured. And if the audience includes any precocious kids like Toby, they'll be diverted by references to Isaac Asimov and Immanuel Kant.

If you think it's a good idea to begin a movie for children by killing off a young boy in an industrial accident as his father looks on, raise your hand. Anyone?