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 Click here for the full 1680x1050 image.  Click here for the full 500x667 image. Summer Wars is one of those movies that works best when you don't know too much about it going in. Without giving the movie away, it takes place in an alternate present where the near-future has begun to creep in. The internet isn't just the internet, it's OZ. OZ is, to my mind, the most realistic interpretation of what a future internet could very likely resemble; a great expanse of user friendly, edgeless, Wii-like navigable space that you interact with through an avatar that represents your aggregated digital information. (Credit info, financial info, social media accounts, gamer score and rep, etc. Your "digital self.") If you've ever posted a blog or bought something online, you have an avatar on OZ whether you know/utilize it or not. Your mom has an avatar on OZ. Your grandmother has an avatar on OZ. Just like the real world, they have no loving clue what that means. The world depends on OZ for almost all commerce, as well as automation of things like emergency services, direction of city utilities, GPS, games, business, the works. OZ is ubiquitous, and can be accessed from phones, televisions, computers, etc. It can continue to operate efficiently because of its supposedly indecipherable security encryption. The story takes place in Japan, mostly following a boy named Kenji Koiso. He's the runner up to represent Japan in a high level mathematics competition, and he gets roped into spending the summer in the country with an attractive, suspicious girl and her giant family of interesting weirdos. Within 3 days, Kenji's face is plastered on the news for destroying OZ. PROS: Top notch animation, charming characters, great action, follows several character threads simultaneously without losing the plot, many well executed, unique ideas. CONS: Dubbing could be better, causing some scenes to come off a bit maudlin. Also, while not entirely necessary, it might be a good idea to Wiki the Japanese card game Hanafuda, as it factors into the story fairly heavily towards the end. I knew nothing about the game, and while the film does a fine job of using pacing to indicate tension during the matches, I felt that I would have perhaps had a bit more vested interest if I understood the basics of the game first. Score: 4/5 edit: Also, as of 1/18/11, it was still in my local indie theater. Check it out! SlimGoodbody fucked around with this message at 01:35 on Jan 19, 2011 |
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Jan 18, 2011 00:09
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 09:05 |
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