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Full review of Summer Wars

Mamoru Hosoda’s latest effort is funny, exciting, and serious when it counts. It shows you don’t have to work for Disney, Pixar, or Ghibli to do this sort of movie well.

• Score: 75%
• Opinion: good
• + expertly ties together many disparate plot threads
• + uses a modern veneer to make its message more relevant to its target audience
• + the Shinohara family is a hoot to watch
• + good visual production
• - some spotty voice acting
• - the world of Oz tests your suspension of disbelief
• - caters a little too much to kids when the character drama could easily have carried the movie
• Conclusion: Like a thoroughly modernized Miyazaki film, Mamoru Hosoda’s Summer Wars is very accessible and meaningful... to your kids. There’s plenty of entertainment to be had for adults, but this is not a grown-up work.

Tags: Summer Wars, review