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Film review: Blah 'Astro Boy' a rehash of other, better movies

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SLCardinal | 1:05 p.m. Oct. 29, 2009
The plot for Astro Boy pre-dates these "re-hash" movies by 10-30 years. Many of the Astro Boy concepts were taken from 1950's comics. Vice, like many other critics, miss this anachronism, and miss an opportunity to promote a character as beloved throughout the world as Mickey Mouse is loved in the U.S. The movie is fun, has some sharp moments for adults, and the kids will fall in love with Astro. The preview might suggest some crude language, but "butt" was used once in the film, and the story is devoid of any other crude language, swearing, and crass jokes. A solid three-star performance.
Jordy | 8:44 a.m. Nov. 3, 2009
Jeff Vice mentions the pro-green themes (which, at least, are quite common in Japanese animation), but fails to mention the pro-Marxist themes -- which are not even thinly disguised. (The good guys have posters of Lenin and Trotsky? Come on! The bad guys cut taxes and are evilly patriotic? Give me a break!) You don't have to be some right-wing wacko to be utterly insulted by the blatant political propaganda here. As a longtime fan of the original Astro Boy, I was excited for this one. But this is what happens when you put Hollywood lefties in charge of a Japanese icon. Had the movie been entertaining, I might -- might -- have overlooked the agenda. But it wasn't. This film doesn't even rate one star.
TruckerRon | 11:35 p.m. Nov. 4, 2009
Jordy, you're on target with your observations of the leftist junk, but it wasn't overwhelming. After all, Stone said he had cut taxes for his friends; the real-world conservatives have always cut taxes for those who were paying excessive taxes, whether they were friends or not. And do note that the rebellious robots were full of bluster and totally ineffective, much like the Three Stooges they were obviously based on.

SLCardinal, I'm old enough to know that you're right as well, most of the rehashed plot elements were from the original manga and the animated series that I watched on TV in the early 1960s.

As for me, given the history of the show and how well it was done, I'll also rate it at 3 stars.

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Movie Info
Rated PG for drug use.

Cast: Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland, Nicholas Cage, Bill Nighy, Matt Lucas, Samuel L. Jackson, Nathan Lane
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Astro, a robot voiced by Freddie Highmore, is the title character in the movie "Astro Boy."

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