Astro Boy (2009):

Astro Boy (2009):

I finally got around to watching Astro Boy (2009), and you know what? I liked it. Not loved it. Not “This redefined Astro Boy”- kind of liked. But, liked it.

Let’s just get this out of the way. Yeah, the visuals are kind of dated. It’s very 2009 CGI. Shiny metal, slightly rubbery faces, and that weird in-between era where animation hadn’t quite figured out how to stylize humans yet It’s fine. It works. It feels like a Saturday afternoon kids’ movie.

One of my biggest mixed feelings is how they re-imagined the world. In the original anime created by Osamu Tezuka, Astro’s adventures spanned the cosmos. There were robot wars on the Moon. Moral dilemmas across continents. Wild sci-fi ideas that felt boundless.

Here, Metro City is basically a floating city-state, hovering above a trashed Earth. It’s very “Metropolis-lite.” It grounds the story, which makes sense for an American family film, but it also shrinks the scope dramatically. The universe feels smaller. Safer. Contained.

They do sprinkle in nods to older characters and lore, which longtime fans will recognize. But the characterizations? Totally different. And that’s fine. I get that they were probably setting up a new franchise direction. It’s just… this version of Astro Boy, aside from the name and powers, feels barely recognizable.

One thing I genuinely enjoyed was the humor.

Yes, including the now-infamous:

“I have machine guns in… my butt???”

It’s dumb. It’s juvenile. It absolutely got a laugh out of me.

There are also some sweet friendship beats, especially once Astro lands on the surface and ends up with the junkyard kids. It leans heavily into the American “ragtag group of misfits who come together” formula. Predictable? Sure. But it’s warm.

One thing that really stood out to me is how simplified the themes are. Classic Astro Boy wrestles with identity. What does it mean to be human? Can robots have souls? Can they coexist with humanity? His heart, metaphorically and sometimes literally, is tied to something spiritual.

In this movie, it’s Blue Core vs. Red Core. Good vs. Evil. Intention vs. corruption. It’s very literal. Almost like the movie is afraid to wade into anything messier or more philosophical.

Astro’s journey toward humanity gets glossed over. Instead of grappling deeply with what he is, the emotional takeaway becomes: “He’s a good friend.” Which, to be fair, Astro has always been. But he’s also a robot navigating a complicated world. That complexity gets reduced to “outsider kid trying to fit in.”

It works for a children’s movie. It just feels restrained.

The voice cast is kind of stacked, which makes the restraint even more noticeable. Nicolas Cage plays Tenma in a surprisingly subdued performance. Bill Nighy brings dignity and warmth to Dr. Elefun. Donald Sutherland goes full militaristic villain as President Stone. Nathan Lane as Hamegg is easily the most fun performance in the movie... he sounds like he’s having a blast. There’s also Kristen Bell (pre-Frozen) as Cora and Samuel L. Jackson as Zog, the ancient construction bot.

It’s such a tremendous lineup. And yet the script keeps everything so safe. Even during the big climax, a showdown with President Stone who's piloting a giant robot, it never really lets Astro go wild. He fires lasers out of his hand cannons, looks at them, and goes, “Huh. Cool.”

And that’s kind of the vibe of the whole movie.

Huh. Cool.

But not much more.

I don’t hate this version. I actually think it’s a perfectly decent kids’ action movie. Throw in some good snacks, settle in, and you’ll have a good time.

But compared to the 2003 anime series, or especially the original 1960s or 1980s Tezuka vision, it feels cautious. Smaller. A little too afraid to let Astro ask the big questions. A little too determined to translate everything into simple, digestible morality.

Astro Boy has always been a good friend. But he’s also a robot built after Tenma's grief for his dead son. A machine searching for humanity. A hero navigating prejudice and war and loss.

This movie hints at those things, and then backs away.

Still, it’s always good to revisit Astro Boy in any form. And for what it is (A mid-2000s Americanized reboot trying to introduce him to a new generation.) it’s good.

Not cosmic. Not profound.

But good.

The Dandelion Girl: Do You Remember Me? (2019):

The Dandelion Girl: Do You Remember Me? (2019):

“A short visual novel about a middle-aged man on his summer vacation, where he meets a strange girl who claims to be from the future. Adapted from a short story.” - Steam

Well, the title kind of spoils the twist, but let's get into it. This is a kinetic novel (There are no choices, so it's not actually a visual novel.) based on a short story by Robert F. Young in 1966. It's about the adventures of a man named Mark who has decided to take a vacation in Cove City, after working so hard as a lawyer. There he meets a 17 year-old girl Julie Danvers in a field of dandelions. She lets him in on a secret. Her father is a government scientist who built a time machine, and she is actually from 240 years in the future.

At first, Mark plays her off as just being imaginative. But, the more they talk, the more she lets some of her father's time travel theories slip, and Mark starts experiencing odd fits of deja vu. Over the course of his stay in the cabin in Cove City, he begins to appreciate his get-togethers with Julie and talking time travel with her, as well as appreciating her playfulness and his own present moment.

Mark starts to wonder if he could've avoided being drafted in the Vietnam War, and has a violent flashback of shooting an enemy soldier. Julie explains that no, you can't change time, because it's like a book that's already been written. “Whatever happens, happens.” she says. You can only create events that lead to the present. Or at least, that's what her father says.

Julie enjoys looking at clouds and nature and says everything is destroyed by industry in her time. She also mentions that her father is being pursued by the Time Police. Mark and Julie enjoy looking at clouds and Julie says everything is perfect in the 1960s. Mark laughs, and says Julie will say that about other decades too.

Over time, she starts missing get-togethers with Mark and he starts to worry about her. Years later, when Mark is getting married, he experiences the deja vu, and realizes all of Julie's irrational fears about Time Police and her father make sense. I'm not going to spoil it. You can download it on Steam.

So, was it a good read? Yes. I usually prefer visual novels over kinetic novels, but I also like sci-fi. To be fair, this is soft sci-fi, and very short. But, it's still a good story about having experiences and connections with someone that you can't quite explain. It's definitely of its era, as Julie helps Mark heal from the trauma of the Vietnam War, and Julie escapes the destruction of her time. The format of the kinetic novel fits really well with Julie's “Book of Time” theory.

That said, there was one thing I didn't like, and that is the inclusion of onomatopoeic sound effects in the novel. “Ah...” “Kuuuu...” and “Unngh...” that I'm sure are not in the original 1960s “The Dandelion Girl” story. They just point out that you're playing an anime-style game. I found it distracting in what was otherwise a relaxing and philosophical game. The music is gentle and good for reflection, and then you see...”uuungh”. It really breaks the deeper moods.

That's the only thing that really took me out of it. Other than that, it's a good game. Check it out on Steam. It's free. Took me about an hour to read. A good soft sci-fi story. There are no killer robots or action scenes, but if you just want to relax and take a break, it's a good read. Give it a look, if you can.

Dual Blades (2002):

Dual Blades (2002):

Dual Blades (2002):

"Dual Blades is a fighting video game published by Metro3D, Inc. for the Game Boy Advance. It is a fighting game with single player and player versus player modes. It features a "power combining system" which was very new for the genre at that time. This system allows players to create their own fighting style.”

Fighters throughout time come to fight for the Dual Blades, a weapon that will grant immortality. First off, despite the power combining system, you pretty much just have light attack (thrust) and heavy attack. (Slash.) So, it all comes down to your weapon and character, as this is a weapon-based fighting game. My favorite character so far is Shin, the feudal Japanese magician who uses a spear. He gets an ending where he challenges the best fighters throughout time again, essentially just relaunching the tournament.

Others include Brandon an American vagabond with a sword, Efe, an Ottoman warrior with a scimitar, a female ninja named Kunonichi, a beastman, a sorcerer, a Russian witch, and the last boss who is unplayable. He's an immortal Roman named Alpe Ren, who can move super fast and switch instantly between “weapon mode” and “armor mode”. The only thing comparable that you as a player can do is choose between a defensive or offensive fighting style before the fight.

For a Game Boy Advance title, it does some advanced things for the time in 2002. I don't really think there's much reason to go back to it. It is super violent, which is unusual for even a weapon-based fighting game back then. But, even watching characters get sliced in half as the final heavy attack lands gets boring after a while. There are updated modern versions and sequels on Steam, but the original is pretty one-note (i.e. the power-combining system.) and stale by now.

My favorite ending to the game though, is Duke the English knight's ending, who uses the Dual Blades to umm...stop the Viking invasions of England? It's an interesting idea. It's ultimately how I feel about Dual Blades. It's an interesting idea. But, it doesn't really follow through, even though it could've completely changed things.

Everlasting Summer (2013):

Everlasting Summer (2013):

“Everlasting Summer is a visual novel that tells the story of a man living in modern Russia who finds himself mysteriously transported to a summer camp somewhere in the Soviet Union.”

A lonely modern Russian kid named Seymon goes to the bus station one day. When he wakes up, he finds himself mysteriously transported to the Soviet Union in a pioneer camp. Think Soviet Scouts! Within the pioneer camp, there's a number of different girls you can pursue, including Alisa, Lena, Ulyana (the party animal.), Miku, (A Japanese girl.) and Slavya. Each girl has 2 endings good and bad. There are also “secret endings” I've heard about where you can discover a nuclear shelter in the camp, or discover evil clones.

There's even an ending where you make a robot cat girl, who will be available to pursue next game. I've never gotten that far. As far as I know, each girl has 2 endings. One where you stay in the USSR and lead a good life. Or one where you find your way back, but something bad happens! (Lena's version has Seymon kill himself.) It's a unique game. Heavy on sci-fi, and alternate realities. I'd say give it a try, if you can stomach the sappy USSR nostalgia! The game was originally released in Russia only in 2006. The 2013 version is the English release.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift (2009):

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift (2009):

“A few days have passed since the reported raid by Ragna the Bloodedge, The 13th Hierarchical City Kagutsuchi forgets to celebrate New Years, as his alleged involvement in the Mysterious Bombing and "Huge Pentacle Sightings" becomes the talk of the town. With the NOL offering no official explanation, the citizens voice their own theories, exaggerating and spreading rumors like wildfire. Completely indifferent to the state of the city, Ragna grips his massive sword and quietly bides his time—waiting for the chance to achieve his true objective, and then, the enormous power that has ensnared Ragna begins to activate...”

A Fighting Game/visual novel. Colorful characters, attacks, and sometimes waifus. One is a squirrel, and there's a couple cats, a couple robots, a vampire, and one character (Arakune) is a bag full of bees. The main character is a spiky-haired edgelord with a big sword who swears sometimes. There's a backstory about Magic Weapons and time travel, but it's not important. The last boss is Michael Jackson with demon powers, basically. Honestly, if it weren't also a fighting game, I'd say it made no sense. It still makes no sense, but at least it's cool to see. Actually, the visual novel aspect is pretty forgettable, for as complex as it wants to be. But, it's still a cool fighting game. I'd recommend it. Check it out.

Astro Boy (2004 series DVD set):

Astro Boy (2004 series DVD set):

I finished watching the 2004 DVD set for Astro Boy recently. It was good. Even though it's a reboot, it followed a lot of Osamu Tezuka's original Pinocchio-type themes from the 1960s series. At its heart, it's about a boy with the power to decide what he wants to do, and who his friends are, even if they appear mean at first. To be honest, I got bored around the 4th DVD when the adventures became more villain-of-the-week episodic, but once it returned to the evil father story from discs 1 and 2, then it was action-packed and really focused.

There are humans who hate robots and humans who wanna be robots, and humans who frame robots for crimes, and robot supremacists. But, Astro Boy fights for everyone. A little cheesy, but good cheese. The last disc is really action-packed too. Robots form their own independent nation, and Astro Boy fights to minimize the damage. Not quite like modern anime violent, but it's on par with something like Avatar: The Last Airbender.

For me, it was refreshing to see something from anime say in effect, that the rules of society are important, but we all have free will. Free will is not a common theme in modern anime, in my opinion. That was nice to see on top of Astro Boy's Good vs. Evil story, with Dr. O'Shay being good and Dr. Tenma being evil. Apart from Good vs. Evil, he learns from having friends, fighting villains (Robot or human.) and playing games (Rocketball and visiting the circus.) that being fair is important. Plus, he has cool powers like an arm cannon, rocket boots, finger lasers, and uh, he can...talk to trees? Anyway, give it a watch if you're itching for some good retro-future cheesiness.

Demolition Man (1993):

Demolition Man (1993):

“A police officer is brought out of suspended animation in prison to pursue an old ultra-violent nemesis who is loose in a non-violent future society.”

Sylvester Stallone plays John Spartan, a hard-nosed cop who pursues Simon Phoenix, a crazy criminal. Now, after he burns down part of a crime-ridden LA, he and Phoenix end up in a non-violent future after being frozen. This leads to some pretty funny scenes. For example, the police can't apprehend Phoenix, and don't know what to do after he responds with an aggressive remark.

But also, John Spartan can't adjust to the future world, either. Swearing is outlawed, and he racks up fines for each curse word. He doesn't know that all restaurants are now Taco Bell, or that people wipe themselves with seashells now instead of toilet paper, so he has to use the curse fines as toilet paper. Sandra Bullock as Lenina Huxley helps him adjust to the future, but she keeps getting old expressions wrong. (i.e. “blow this guy” instead of blow him away.) That's all pretty funny.

Apart from the absurdist comedy of an action hero stuck in a pacified future, there's also some great action scenes. Phoenix kills a bunch of guards and museum goers after getting guns from a firearm exhibit. He and Spartan have a good shootout in the museum. Then, in a nod maybe to Terminator killing T-1000, Phoenix later shatters into pieces after being trapped by dry ice in a factory.

But, it turns out that Phoenix himself wasn't operating alone. He was being hypnotized by Dr. Cocteau, the founder of this supposed utopia. He was using him to assassinate Edgar Friendly (Dennis Leary), a rebel leader who lives underground and rejects society's rules. In this way, the film also touches on some social issues, such as censorship, just use of power, and the role of violence in peacekeeping. It's influenced by Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

Overall, I'd recommend the film to anyone who likes sci-fi, absurdist comedy, and/or good action movies. I enjoyed it. Give it a watch on Hulu, if you get a chance. On the surface, it's a good shoot-em-up. But, it isn't afraid to make you laugh, or think. Truly, a modern sci-fi classic with a unique blend of comedy, action, and philosophy.

The Final Countdown (1980):

The Final Countdown (1980):

“A modern aircraft carrier is thrown back in time to 1941 near Hawaii, just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.”

An aircraft carrier in 1980 gets caught up in a time storm, and ends up in 1941! With the Japanese about to attack, the crew now faces a conundrum. Do they attack, or let the attack happen to them? Well, first, the systems analyst (Warren Lasky, played by Martin Sheen.) is able to determine through records and radio frequencies that they are in 1941. Plus, Senator Samuel Chapman is also nearby on a yacht, so the time storm reality is confirmed. But, before they know who he is, they rescue him from Japanese planes. He was supposed to die in the attack!

Meanwhile, the Japanese pilot who attacked Chapman's yacht sneaks onboard the carrier and takes hostages, now armed with automatic rifles. Having already changed history, they have no choice but to defend themselves now. They communicate with the pilot in Japanese, and he gets scared and starts shooting. They take him out, and arrange for Chapman to be dropped off back at Pearl Harbor.

Chapman overhears this plan, and refuses to be dropped off. But, in order to preserve history, they tell him he won't be at Pearl Harbor. Chapman takes the helicopter crew hostage. Well, then Chapman's secretary falls in love with Wing Commander Owens, and agrees to be dropped off at a nearby island with him and her dog. Chapman kills himself accidentally by setting off a flare gun. Unknowningly, history is preserved.

But, not before Captain Yelland (Kirk Douglas.) gives the order to attack the Japanese planes, not knowing the course of history has just been saved. This opens the time portal back up, and they arrive back in 1980. Of course, who's waiting for Mr. Lasky back in DC, but Mr. Owens himself, his wife, and a miraculously 40+-year-old dog!

This was a great film. I was a bit surprised to find in buried on Tubi. It kind of reminded me of a very high-concept Star Trek episode or something. I haven't watched a good high-concept time travel sci-fi movie in a while. Definitely check it out if you can! I know I basically spoiled it, but half the fun is watching them figure out history and how they change courses. That's fun even if you know what's coming. Even the film synopsis is a huge spoiler!

Erased (2016):

Erased (2016):

“Satoru Fujinuma can travel back in time to save others' lives. When he wakes up 18 years in the past, he has a chance to save his murdered classmates.”

Erased is an anime on Netflix that time travels between 2006 and 1988. It's a murder mystery. Each time somebody is about to be killed, Satoru can use his ability called “Revival” to go back in time and stop it. This results in several timelines being created. A few where he and his friends and family die. A few where he goes back to 1988.

It all starts when his classmate Kayo goes missing. Then, she's being abused. He finds her as a 9-year-old in 1988, and vows to find “Date X” the day she is murdered. He can switch between 1988 and 2006, but never control when he revives. This anime is a roller coaster of emotions. Often a sweet scene like a birthday will be immediately followed by child abuse and murder.

It's a mystery, so I can't give that many spoilers as to who the killer(s) are. I'll say the sci-fi time travel aspect is neat. Soon, more abductions follow Kayo's. There are even a couple timelines where he is framed as the murderer. If you have the hankering for a good mystery, definitely check this one out. But, I'd say be warned, it goes from very light to very dark all the time.

Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991):

Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991):

“Dar is a warrior who can talk to the beasts. He is forced to travel to Earth to stop his evil brother from stealing an atomic bomb and turning their native land from a desert into, well - a desert.”

This one is a bit different! The evil wizard Arklon travels through time to 1991. There, with the help of Lyranna, he hopes to get a neutron bomb from a testing facility in L.A. Lyranna pronounces it “Ellay” like it's part of their mystical world. The rest is an action-comedy as Dar The Beastmaster fights through shopping malls to the testing facility to stop Arklon.

Dar is guided through the 1990s with the help of Jackie Trent. It's good satire. People just keep mistaking Arklon for a really eccentric rich person. It's not the serious action high fantasy of the original. But, it is good for a few laughs. Dar still has his beasts: the tiger Ru, the ferrets Podo and Kodo, and the eagle Sharak.

At one point, Jackie asks Dar which ferret is Kodo and which is Podo. He responds simply “Yes.” It doesn't really matter! Marc Singer as always is great as Dar trying to take down his evil wizard brother. If you go into it with the mindset that it's a comedy, I recommend it! But, if you want the serious Beastmaster films, skip it. I like that they tried something different.

Flight of The Navigator (1986):

Flight of The Navigator (1986):

“In 1978, a boy travels 8 years into the future and has an adventure with an intelligent, wisecracking alien ship.”

David chases his brother through the woods in 1978, and wakes up 8 years later. His house is owned by someone else. Time has passed, but he hasn't aged. The scariest thing about this movie is that none of the NASA scientists who later take the kid explain what's going on.

The scientists want to examine all the star charts that the UFO put inside his brain. Meanwhile, no one explains this. He only has like one friend inside NASA, and she can barely explain to him what a music video is. He's never seen one before. After that, the alien voice in his head beckons him back to the UFO to complete his mission.

Once inside the UFO, the Trimaxian alien explains his mission to collect data on other lifeforms in space. The kid is “the navigator”, who must pilot the ship. Along the way, they teach each other how to laugh, dance, and listen to music. David calls the Trimaxian “Max”, and as they become friends and laugh, he sounds more like Pee Wee Herman.

After their adventure together, Max returns the kid to the '70s. As a souvenir, he lets him keep a little alien from its biological zoo. It's a genuinely good movie. If I saw it as a kid, I would've freaked out. But, the freaky parts help you appreciate the fun and wonder that comes later. Check it out if you can.

THE TERMINATOR (1984):

THE TERMINATOR (1984):

“A human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.”

The Terminator is one of the greatest sci-fi action films of all time, mostly thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger as the killer robot. Kyle Reese is sent to protect Sarah Connor from his rampage. And the cyborg doesn't spare anybody. He shoots up punks, anyone named Sarah Connor, cops, and even tracks Sarah down to a hotel where she thinks she can be safe. But, she's not, because the Terminator will never stop until she's gone.

Time travel shenanigans ensue though here. You see, if Kyle Reese wasn't sent back from 2029, then the leader of his resistance wouldn't be born. It doesn't really work out. But, oh well, the action is good. Plus, it gave us the greatest sequel of all time, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The cyborg comes back to protect John Connor, who will lead the resistance against the robots.

If there's one thing that dates this film, it's not just the robot puppets, it's the fear of machines and computers. I wonder if a film like Terminator would be as effective today. But, Arnold Schwarzenegger makes such a good monster killing machine that it's hard to look away. Definitely watch it, but for the great action scenes. Everything else is kind of stuck in time. But, I like that.

Kung Fury (2015):

Kung Fury (2015):

"In 1985, Kung Fury, the toughest martial artist cop in Miami, goes back in time to kill the worst criminal of all time - Kung Führer, a.k.a. Adolf Hitler."

In this action comedy set in the 1980s, a martial arts expert named Kung Fury/cop time travels to kill Hitler. He resurrected himself with kung fu and shot up a police station through a phone. With the help of his friend Hackerman (played by Swedish musician Mitch Murder), he hacks through time to stop Hitler from becoming a supreme kung fu expert.

But, first he travels to far back in time, and meets Thor. The Norse God and his Valkyries join the fight against the kung fu Nazis. This is a fun little tribute/parody to the scifi action films of the 1980s. Pure fun action. It's the ultimate Good vs Evil battle! It's not too long. Give it a watch when you have time.

9 (2009):

9 (2009):

"A rag doll that awakens in a postapocalyptic future holds the key to humanity's salvation."

In an alternate 1930s world, a scientist is ordered by his dictator to create a robot in the apparent name of progress, and so the scientist creates the B.R.A.I.N., a highly intelligent robot. Lacking a soul, it turns machines against humanity. As a last ditch effort, the scientist puts his soul into 9 ragdolls (called "stitchpunks") to stop the B.R.A.I.N. Check it out, it's wild!

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014) Review:

                                

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014) Review:

                                                              (Colossus vs. a sentinel!)                                                

(The sentinels!)

Future Professor X: “Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn't mean they can't be saved.”  

   So, as a fan of Professor X, I have to talk about X-men: Days of Future Past. There are even two Professor Xs in this one. Specifically, I liked the dystopian Terminator feel, which loosely matched the dystopian Terminator feel of the comics. It was basically Terminator with the X-men in it, but I like both those things! Everyone uses their powers, so if that’s what you wanna see, you’re in luck. Wolverine really stabs people, guys!

In fact, one of the angles about superpowers that I liked about this movie was that even though there are two Prof Xs and one (The younger version.) walks, when he walks, he can’t use his telepathy. I thought that was cool. He needs his disability. Now, there’s a lot of people complaining that this time travel stuff and the time doubles erase the current continuity, blah blah blah…I don’t care. The wonderful thing about fiction is you can choose which parts happened. If you like the old trilogy, you can say it happened. Personally, I like this one!

This timeline starts in the 1960s and goes through the 1970s…but there are giant robots in it, and an assassination attempt on Bolivar Trask…the creator of them. Mystique is the would- be assassin. Also, I think Peter Dinkelage is a great Bolivar Trask. He’s not pure evil. He thinks he’s protecting humanity from the mutants. His fault is he doesn’t see them as humans, which they are. And there’s a nice little lesson in there about not judging people based on fear. Future Professor X is a lot more optimistic than the past one!

But, Future Professor X needs to contact past Professor X to move forward, with the help of Magneto. Personally, I think all he’d have to say is “Don’t worry! You get my sweet hover chair in the future!” But, it takes a lot longer than that and they have a big showdown with giant robots, and Wolverine and Professor X have to stop him. Good stuff!

Overall, a good action movie that establishes a neat new continuity. I’d give it 4/5 stars. It’s a little weird to cover the sentinels in just one movie, as in the 90s cartoon and comics they lasted many years. They definitely upped the action. And I like how every movie covers a different era. I predict next will be the 80s. It keeps getting bigger and better. Mutant battles, robots, and good disability messages. What’s not to love? Go see it.  

                                               (Mutants face extinction in an apocalyptic future.)

(Beast, Wolverine, Prof X: 1970s.)