Astro BoyMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Astro Boy."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 53 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
7 OK for kids 7+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    A marvelously designed piece of cartoon kinetics. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    The movie contains less of its interesting story and more action and battle scenes than I would have preferred. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    Astro Boy alternately soars and sputters through a story line that's not quite sure who it's aimed at. Read full review

  • 60
    The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen

    Derivative bits aside, the pint-sized Japanese icon takes flight in vibrant CG animation -- no 3D glasses required. Read full review

  • 60
    Variety |

    Appropriately for a film about robots, efficiency is the primary virtue of Astro Boy, a well-oiled CG-animated superhero pic that makes up in competence and vitality what it lacks in originality. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan

    It will put some viewers in mind of yet another story with the same theme: "Pinocchio." Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    Purists should have a field day enumerating the differences between the original "Astro Boy" and this high-gloss reimagining. Someone has to. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    And so he zips and zags, keeping aloft in a movie that can't always do the same. Read full review

  • 50
    Los Angeles Times |

    Plays like "Transformers" for tots, a "Pinocchio" story that stays true to its source material's storied past without adding much in the way of interest, outside of some clankingly obvious political subtext that will alienate people of all stripes. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Though some scenes may be too intense for children, the action is slick, with robot clashes and airborne chases leaving the strongest impression. Read full review

View more reviews for Astro Boy on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 7+ Action-packed adventure a fun bet for young superhero fans.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this animated robot superhero adventure based on the 1960s anime series Astro Boy is age-appropriate for elementary-schoolers. It has fairly sophisticated themes (grief, loss, and war), as well as plenty of cartoon action violence -- including the death of a child, the destruction of several robots, explosions, and robots armed with heavy artillery. But language is limited to mild insults like "idiot," and there's no product placement to worry about. A war-obsessed military man is presented as a humorously negative character; on the opposite end of the political spectrum is a trio of revolutionary robots who call each other "comrade" and have a poster of Lenin in their meeting place.
  • Families can talk about how Astro Boy compares to other superheroes. He's created as a robot with special powers, rather than born or accidentally transformed. How does Astro Boy accept (as Spider-Man says) that with great power comes great responsibility?
  • Do you think the movie's more mature themes will resonate with kids? What other movies touch on issues related to technology, pollution, war, and the like? Is this appropriate material for a kids' movie?
  • How is Toby's death handled? Many children's movies feature the death of a parent, but it's rare for the death of a child to be included. Kids: Would you have preferred for Toby to be transformed into Astro Boy rather than die?
The good stuff
  • educationalvalue true1 Educational value: Kids learn about inclusiveness through the orphans and their early acceptance of Astro Boy, as well as about mustering the courage to defend others through Astro Boy's actions.
  • message true3 Positive messages: Despite the fact that Dr. Tenma does something clearly unethical by creating a robot with his dead son's memories, the movie has several positive messages. Cora's ability to forgive Astro Boy for not revealing that he's a robot shows kids that it's his character -- not his "parts" -- that make him a good friend. And Astro Boy's decision to bravely put himself in danger because he's the only one who can fight the negative energy is an example of selflessly overcoming obstacles and accepting your own responsibility.
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: Although the hawkish Metro City General and his cronies are basically warmongerers, most of the role models are positive. Dr. Tenma redeems himself by saving Astro Boy, and Astro Boy himself acts bravely and selflessly to stop the negative-energy killer robot. Cora is also a positive role model, as she's not a damsel-in-distress type but rather a confident, capable girl.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence and scariness: A lot of weapon-based explosions and disasters when the "negative energy" is unleashed. Several robots are destroyed throughout the movie, most of them a bit comically during their Coliseum-like battles to the "death." A child dies (off screen).
  • sex false1 Sexy stuff: Astro Boy and Cora flirt mildly, but it's not more than a couple of looks and a hug.
  • language false2 Language: Characters occasionally say mildly insulting words like "idiot" and "stupid," and there are a couple of jokes about weapons growing out of Astro Boy's "butt" and the "sudden release" of a robot's "bodily fluids."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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