Review of 'Summer Wars (Samâ uôzu)'
Kenji is a bit of a geek: He is a programmer-for-hire for the OZ computer network in Japan which is used to control all aspects of public life in a not-so-far-fetched extension of present day. He is roped into playing the role of Natsuki's fiancé at her family's gathering for her grandmother's birthday. Kenji receives a cryptic mathematical riddle in the middle of the night which he answers and unwittingly helps in releasing an AI into OZ that starts to cause havoc in the country with false calls to the police and fire stations as well as causing widespread traffic chaos. Will Kenji and his new found allies in Natsuki's family be able to defeat what threatens the very fabric of the electronic and, eventually, the real world with total annihilation.
The animation style will look familiar to anyone having seen The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. This is a treat to look at and a lot of fun. The wild sequences certainly are wild. There is a touch of poignancy though (I will not spoil it by specifically mentioning it here) - Particularly hard hitting for such a relatively light piece of entertainment.
Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”
Review Date: 2011-08-19
Directed by: Mamoru Hosoda
Studio: Madhouse
Year: 2009
Length: 109 minutes
Genre: Japanese Animation
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1474276/