Summer Wars

Name: Summer Wars
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Comedy, Animation
Released: December 29, 2010
Duration: 114 min
Rating: 63

2010

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 75 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 75 Ratings

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Summer Wars

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Movie Details & Credits

GKIDS | Release Date: December 29, 2010 | Not Rated

Summary: When teenage math prodigy Kenji solves a 2,056 digit math riddle sent to his cell phone, he unwittingly breaches the security barricade protecting Oz, a globe-spanning virtual world where millions of people and governments interact through their avatars, handling everything from online shopping and traffic control, to nuclear launch codes.When teenage math prodigy Kenji solves a 2,056 digit math riddle sent to his cell phone, he unwittingly breaches the security barricade protecting Oz, a globe-spanning virtual world where millions of people and governments interact through their avatars, handling everything from online shopping and traffic control, to nuclear launch codes. Now a malicious AI program called Love Machine is hijacking Oz accounts, growing exponentially more powerful and sowing chaos and destruction in its wake. SUMMER WARS is a visual tour-de-force, with the amazing world of Oz as the highlight. Like the Internet as conceived by pop artist Haruki Murakami, Oz is a hallucinatory pixel parade of cool avatar designs, kung fu jackrabbits, toothy bears, and a bursting rainbow of colors. (GKIDS)… Expand

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Genre(s): Adventure, Sci-Fi, Comedy, Animation

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 114 min

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Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas

Jan 6, 2011

Hosoda, who directed the cult film "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time," has made a sophisticated yet poignant family entertainment with an appeal beyond Japanese animation buffs. Read full review

Nick Schager

Dec 30, 2010

Summer Wars surprisingly celebrates togetherness and bravery as much as binary-mathematics expertise, all helped along by a kick-ass synthesis of traditional hand-drawn scenes and fluid, rainbow-explosive CG artistry. Read full review

Frank Scheck

Jan 4, 2011

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 full review

Peter Hartlaub

Dec 30, 2010

It's the kind of fun and quirky film that you don't see very often in art houses this time of year. Read full review

Ty Burr

Jan 6, 2011

In Summer Wars, it's what's old that's made to seem refreshingly new. Read full review

Rachel Saltz

Dec 30, 2010

There's a lovely, unhurried quality to Mr. Hosoda's storytelling, which nicely matches the clean, classically composed images of his outer story. Read full review

Nicolas Rapold

Dec 30, 2010

It's hard to appreciate things like the character detail amid the insufferably squealy voicing and arbitrary suspense. Read full review

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User Reviews

Death-The-Kid

Apr 14, 2013

This is 1 of the best movies ever.Seeing Japan nearly 99.9% technology it has an aura to PC gamers.u fight in a computer based reality for the sake of humanity in japan.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

NerdConsultant

Oct 26, 2014

a brilliant film that reminds me how great animation can be and delivers great charters and a story that is both heartfelt ,engaging and at times even tense it's why it's my favourite film and i can watch it any time

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

Aodecim

Jul 30, 2011

Inspiring and definitely one that should be viewed with family. This movie is one that I remember for years to come. An unbeatable blend of action, comedy, and romance with an innovative plot with possibly the greatest grandmother movies has ever had. I meant it.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

Trailesque

Mar 8, 2021

This is not a masterpiece, and I am no expert on Japanese animation, but I am willing to give it a high rating because it is a good movie for teenagers and families. The animation is realistic and attractive. The story focuses on a couple of teens (computer geek Kenji and cute Natsuki).This is not a masterpiece, and I am no expert on Japanese animation, but I am willing to give it a high rating because it is a good movie for teenagers and families. The animation is realistic and attractive. The story focuses on a couple of teens (computer geek Kenji and cute Natsuki). He is roped into going to her grandmother's huge estate and pretending to be her boyfriend, and soon enough all heck breaks loose. Her whole family shows up, and soon everyone is embroiled in a worldwide battle that mixes in video games, a malicious AI, a computer program/world called Oz, and family dynamics. There is nothing astonishing happening here, but it is good, clean fun.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Shaneryankelly

Aug 6, 2013

Summer Wars eschews the typical cyberpunk bondage gear clad anti-heroes for a cast made up of a nearly-mundane modern upper class Japanese family and their colorful avatars, it takes cyberpunk’s destitute dystopian Urban sprawls and substitutes them with a feudal era villa, it chooses toSummer Wars eschews the typical cyberpunk bondage gear clad anti-heroes for a cast made up of a nearly-mundane modern upper class Japanese family and their colorful avatars, it takes cyberpunk’s destitute dystopian Urban sprawls and substitutes them with a feudal era villa, it chooses to depict an optimistic story about the social network’s capability of bringing people together rather than becoming another pessimism drenched cyberpunk tale about the loss of humanity to the machine overlords.

Read my full review here: http://filmtastic.tv/2013/07/09/review-summer-wars/… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

Skullgirlsfan13

Jun 14, 2013

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Whenever I watch this movie a can't help but think of the first digimon movie, and who could blame when the visionary director from that film is the director of this one. Boy you can see the differences clearly. I'm not here to talk about that film, but this great film. The idea of having a plot revolved around the uses of computers is interesting and unique. This film has spectacular animation, it's a joy to watch the action and fun to see such expressions on characters. The main plot is that of a math student being invited to help his friend with her family dilemmas, and along the way comes an A.I that plans on creating chaos through a cyber network called Oz. As crazy as that plot might sound, it's handled pretty. You get to know the main characters pretty, and can feel bad for what happens to them. There's also this Granny character who's the main purpose of the plot until the fate of millions is at hands. The character was so inspiring, wanting others to always try and help others, even when she dies her will is for her family to not grieve over her and just go on with their everyday lives. The animation again is very "cool"; by that it sort of will only please a certain demographic, and it's clear in its action sequences. It has this very crouching tiger hidden dragon feel to it, but to that is one of the films problems: I feel that action scenes; while pretty, can be either distracting or too good. It seems that these scenes might have been better in an action sci-fi than this drama. Also, the supporting cast of characters aren't really that important; in fact you could argue saying pointless, but could possibly be there be sues how one person has effected so many people. However with all that said, this is still fun to watch, and still has an emotional depth to it to make it still have substance.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

Broyax

Apr 30, 2020

Une mièvrerie débile à souhait (pour ceux qui le souhaitent) et à volonté (pour ceux qui en veulent et en redemandent ... de la débilité à la nipponne !) mélangée à des réseaux sociaux ou plutôt un gigantesque réseau social qui pique une grosse colère (et de gros bugs) !... en somme, un grosUne mièvrerie débile à souhait (pour ceux qui le souhaitent) et à volonté (pour ceux qui en veulent et en redemandent ... de la débilité à la nipponne !) mélangée à des réseaux sociaux ou plutôt un gigantesque réseau social qui pique une grosse colère (et de gros bugs) !... en somme, un gros tas de japoniaiserie très concentrée qui se la joue "branchouille" (ou branchecouilles comme on dit dans ma campagne) à donf !

Et qui nous fait chier à fond les ballons avec ses pathétiques conneries de pseudo-scénario qui n'avance pas, de caricatures ambulantes et autres clichés qui errent, ressassés à l'envi dans ce déambulatoire où tout, absolument tout se marche sur les pieds et dans la prétention (un sacré paquet de prétention à peigne-culs branchecouilles donneurs de leçons, ça déborde de partout !).

Quand on est pas coincé dans la caritcature, on est encerclé ici par des têtes à claques et autres tronches de cake qui racontent n'imp' et qui auraient bien besoin d'une bonne distribution de coups de pied au cul... et d'ailleurs le scénario (qui a clairement abusé du saké) en aurait bien besoin, lui aussi, lui qui s'étire sur presque deux plombes inutiles, navrantes et consternantes, emballées dans un mauvais goût permanent et une technique à la rue !… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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