There are two reasons why this movie is on my Top 100: 1) I have a lot of nostalgia towards the Digimon Movie; 2) I met my girlfriend because of this movie. These two factors jade my opinion of the film, but for this review I'm going to attempt to separate these factors so that I can assess it fairly. This won't be a problem though, because this is an objectively great animated film.

Summer Wars combines high-stakes techno-action with…

The thing that sets directors like Hosoda apart from most others is his ability to interweave a compelling story with heartfelt, well-rounded characters, and rich visuals of lavish colours and animation that truly feels 'alive'. There is a kinetic energy in his work that is extremely enjoyable because it does not come at the sacrifice of meaning.

Summer Wars proves Hosoda to be a great director as it is, while of course featuring the same style, completely different from his…

I think I was the only person on the planet to not be impressed by the director's previous film, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, but despite not going crazy for his last film there was enough signs to suggest he had talent and from the trailers, Summer Wars, certainly looked interesting. Unfortunately it felt like two competent films clumsily stitched together. The most interesting story strand is the real world family dynamic which felt a bit like something Studio…

Yi Yi meets The Matrix.

Anybody have a better bit of movie mathematics to describe this wildly ambitious sci-fi film? What... Summer Hours meets Paprika?

The first half is enthralling in its confidence and originality, but the second half succumbs to showdown overload, and fascination gives way to fatigue.

Still, the movie has a human heart and a surprising number of poignant, observant scenes.

It's as if the storytellers are desperate to bribe game-obsessed, gadget-minded youth into watching the whole…

Bright, colourful and cutesy. Hosoda's Summer Wars is a fun romp in a not-too-unimaginable world where all our lives are connected to the technological second-life 'Oz' system.

Every scene that is set inside this virtual world is an absolute treat to watch and definitely accounts for most of the film's most memorable sequences, as our hero family fights to save the world from a destructive super-virus.

While most scenes set in the family house can be heartfelt and moving at…

I'm a fan of director Mamoru Hosoda's films, which never fail to deliver the vibrant and whimsical worlds I've come to expect. Summer Wars once again delivers these visuals, in the comforting package of an all too familiar story. I first encountered Hosoda's work in Digimon: The Movie, way waaay back, in which the first two "acts" of the film were under his direction.

Summer Wars is a big ask with regards to audience suspension of disbelief. The virtual realm,…

A Huge fan of Our War Games (the Digimon Internet Movie), when I heard that the same director took the idea into an original movie it was a must see. While throughly enjoyable, it is a movie with a distinct list of pros and cons.

As I said, I'm a huge fan of the Director's artistic take on the internet. The distinction from the internet world (or the "World of OZ") and the real world in animation style certainly grounds…

My only complaint for this movie is that the protagonist, Kenji, could have been a little bit more protagonist-ish. He really didn't play a significant role until the very end. That's usually ok when the protagonist is just an observer and plays the part of narrator (i.e. The Great Gatsby), but that wasn't really the case with this one. It was clear that he was the main character, but he didn't do much to stand out from the others, and…