Mamoru Hosoda’s latest animated film Summer Wars
comes to Blu-ray this month and the visionary director of The Girl
Who Leapt Through Time delivers a beautiful and uplifting film about
family and the digital age.
Kenji, a math whiz, spends his spare time programming
the online sensation OZ. Imagine Facebook, Second Life and every other
piece of media rolled into one and you have OZ. The world of Summer Wars
is online all the time. The beautiful Natsuki offers him a job; act as
her fiancé for the weekend when she returns home to celebrate her
grandma’s 90th birthday with her extended family. Kenji
accepts and his world is turned upside down when he receives an email
with a math problem. The problem unleashes a rogue AI on OZ that starts
cannibalizing people’s accounts to grow in power. Soon the AI is
threatening the entire world and Kenji and Natsuki must pull together
the combined skills of the entire family to stop the AI.
Now that might sound pretty much like the description
on the back of the box because, well, it is. To explain in more detail
the rest of the story would spoil a lot of the enjoyment to be had in
Summer Wars, and there is plenty to be had. The story does take a
little while to get going with an almost romantic comedy feel to its
beginning, Kenji pretending to be Natsuki’s fiancé, but this does allow
us to form a bond with Natsuki’s family that aids the film in the long
run. It can also be difficult to follow some of the discussion on just
what has happened to OZ and how Kenji and the family plan to stop the
AI. Plus you don’t want to dwell too long on the fact that Natsuki,
supposedly a popular girl, was picking between nobody computer
programmers for her fake fiancé.
The film deals with a variety of themes, some new and
challenging like the idea of a digital society and an overreliance on
connected technology to function, and some as old as time, like loving
and respecting one’s family, that give the story added depth. It is also
this basis in family that allows a film about the often cold digital
world to have a lot of heart and warmth. Natsuki’s family is filled with
many colorful characters from the 90 year old matriarch who springs in
to action to give everyone a good kick in the backside when the AI first
takes over and plunges Japan into chaos to the roguish Wabisuke. While
the family has a prominent role the real star of Summer Wars is
OZ.
A visual masterpiece that looks even better in
crystal clear high-definition OZ is a kaleidoscope of fantasy and color.
It’s no wonder everyone, even governments, spend so much time in OZ. It
is a truly remarkable world filled with endless possibilities. OZ is
also the sight of the film’s impressive action sequences, which are as
well executed and as awesome as we’ve come to expect from anime. The
real world is also just as beautifully drawn and animated; especially
the ancient home of Natsuki’s family, but it has nothing on the magical
OZ. Blu-ray really allows the quality coloring and animation to shine
through.
Both the English and Japanese versions are given the
Dolby TrueHD 5.1 treatment. The voicework is solid and the score
suitably dramatic and uplifting when it needs to be. The Blu-ray also
comes with some pretty standard special features like director and cast
interviews, trailers and original TV spots. It’s not the greatest
feature package but it’s better than nothing.
Summer Wars is only let
down by have fairly standard special features. Other than that it’s
certainly worth adding to your Blu-ray collection. Its cautionary tale
of digital reliance is good on its own, but what really makes Summer
Wars a great watch is its message about family and respect.
