Freddie Highmore & Kristen Bell

Astro Boy originally appeared in 1951 as a supporting player in an Osamu Tezuka manga, or Japanese comic.

He proved irresistible: Those boots! Those flaming jets where the toes should be! That strategically pointy hair! What sort of atomic gel is this kid using?

Astro's adventures led to an early '60s black-and-white Japanese TV series, and then to the first of the American spin-offs, and now "Astro Boy" has hit the big screen. The old TV theme song referred to the robotic wonder as being "brave and gentle and wise." The computer-animated feature, directed efficiently but mechanically by co-writer David Bowers, prefers "brave and perpetually pummeled and maybe a little bit wise and then pummeled some more."

I wish the film version of "Astro Boy" provided a stronger antidote to mediocrity. In a conscious attempt to introduce the character to a new generation, the script takes its sweet time establishing its rules and locale, then rolls in one too many subplots. We're on the magical floating kingdom of Metro City, which hovers above a garbage-strewn and ravaged Earth sometime in the future. Humans and robots coexist, uneasily. Toiling on behalf of a warmongering president (voiced by Donald Sutherland), scientist Dr. Tenma (Nicolas Cage) accidentally kills his son (Freddie Highmore) while testing a killer robot ironically labeled "The Peacekeeper." Seeking a new son like the old one, the grieving father creates a robotic version of young Toby, later christened Astro Boy.

It is a bad idea. Even though the robo-tot is saintly and amazing in every aspect, Tenma's grief leads to his banishment of the metal boy. Most of the picture, which takes place on Metro City and the planet below, follows Astro as he searches for his place in a world on the brink of extinction.

I like robot battles as much as the next fellow, but this movie really is all about the body blows. Astro must rid Metro City of The Peacekeeper, which has been outfitted with evil "red core" energy, as opposed to the sweet and tasty "blue core" material. When he's not getting smacked around by that thing, Astro is hoodwinked into life-and-death combat in a gladiatorial arena (ripped off by, among others, "A.I.") operated by the weaselly impresario Hamegg (Nathan Lane does the voice, and I'm sure he could've written funnier material if he'd had the chance). After a while it's, like, enough with the pummeling. The animation style relies on watery pastel variations on the "Metropolis" cityscapes, with forgettable robot designs seemingly yanked off the storyboards for the forgettable recent feature "Robots."

I did like the metal dog named Trashcan. On the other hand, while I realize Astro's butt-cheek machine guns (yes, that's right) were introduced in one of the character's earlier incarnations, I nonetheless find them disturbing. And people are worried about their preteens seeing "Where the Wild Things Are"?

 

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"Astro Boy" Movie Trailer

Astro Boy is a thrilling tale of a true hero. Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist named Dr. Tenma. Powered by positive blue energy, Astro Boy is endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly. Astro Boy opens in theatres on October 23, 2009

 

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MPAA rating: PG (for some action and peril, and brief mild language).

Running time: 1:34.

Voice cast: Freddie Highmore (Astro, Toby); Kristen Bell (Cora); Donald Sutherland (President Stone); Nicolas Cage (Dr. Tenma); Bill Nighy (Dr. Elefun); Eugene Levy (Orrin); Nathan Lane (Hamegg); Samuel L. Jackson (ZOG).

Credits: Directed by David Bowers; written by Timothy Hyde Harris and Bowers; produced by Maryann Garger. A Summit Entertainment release.

 

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