Samâwôzu 2009

Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: The story's been done better (and balder) in Die Hard With A Vengeance Read more

Rachel Saltz, New York Times: There's a lovely, unhurried quality to Mr. Hosoda's storytelling, which nicely matches the clean, classically composed images of his outer story. Read more

Nick Schager, Time Out: Celebrates togetherness and bravery as much as binary-mathematics expertise. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: The filmmakers can't keep the strands of their clumsy plot straight, but they create brilliant images and manipulate them with blithe abandon. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Fanciful and beautifully drawn but leaning a bit too much on cliches and coincidences... Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: It's a sugar rush of candy-colored images, a beautifully drawn tale of family tradition and a bracing brain tonic about the Internet's charms and vulnerabilities. Read more

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: Running almost two hours, its increasingly convoluted narrative may be too difficult to follow for younger viewers. But its thematic ambition and dazzling visual style ultimately make it one of the more rewarding anime efforts to reach these shores. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: A sophisticated yet poignant family entertainment with an appeal beyond Japanese animation buffs. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: The story unfolds in unconvincing fashion, and the sci-fi elements seem silly rather than suspenseful. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: An enjoyably trippy Japanese animated feature from director Mamoru Hosoda, Summer Wars combines real-world drama (school crushes, testy relatives) with virtual-world dramatics. Read more

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: Hosoda adds enough dimensions to his characters and kinetic battles that the serene real world seems like a dream state. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: A free-flowing amalgam of cyberthriller and high school romcom. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: It's no coincidence that the Second Life-style virtual universe thrown into turmoil in Summer Wars goes by the name of Oz. This spectacular anime entry from Mamoru Hosoda echoes that 1939 classic. Read more

Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice: It's hard to appreciate things like the character detail amid the insufferably squealy voicing and arbitrary suspense. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: The relationship between Kenji and Natsuki unfolds as blandly as a Debra Messing rom-com. Read more