Next Gen

The animation is great, the characters are likeable and it has a lot going for it that being said the story was extremely basic which made it whilst enjoyable pretty forgettable at the same time. A film most of the family will enjoy though and there will certainly be a lot worse out there of this genre.

The visual finish on this movie is close to on par with recent animated blockbuster films which is a great achievement.

Unfortunately I feel like it was held back by some questionable choices of voice actors (that didn't seem to match the characters), low quality voice acting and a story that doesn't really make you care about the characters enough to worry about what is happening on screen.

So all in all a great effort, with some notable downsides.

It was a fun feel good movie without being DreamWorks or Disney. They did a great job, good story, visuals and soundtrack. It was fun.

While I am giving this Chinese/North American co-production a recommendation, I feel I should point out it's more of a marginal recommendation. Before I get into the faults of the movie, let me list some of its positive attributes. For starters, the movie looks great. The computer animation is not quite as slick as Pixar, but it's pretty close, giving the audience some great visuals and some great production design. Next, the movie certainly doesn't have any dull spots, always remaining interesting at any point. Also, the action depicted is spectacular and very exciting to behold.

If they only had a better script, however, this movie would have been a knockout. But as it is, there are some serious flaws with the writing that hold back the movie significantly. First, while I earlier said that the movie is never boring, it all the same feels way too long (106 minutes!) and the padding is extremely evident. Another big flaw is the lead teenage girl character. She is so sullen, so sour, so filled with anger and hate that it takes forever before we can start warming up to her. Also, the start of her relationship with the robot is not sketched out very well; it's hard to see how the two managed to connect so quickly and become fast friends.

Despite the inadequate script, I am still giving the movie a mild thumbs up. Adult viewers will best approach this movie with lower expectations than usual so there's a better chance they will enjoy it. Kids will probably look past the flawed writing and enjoy the whole package. There are certainly a lot worse family films for a family to watch (though there are also a lot that are much better.)

It has a few stumbles along the way, and some jokes that run too long, but it's definitely worth your time. Mai is a great lead character and John Krasinski as the robot has a lot of heart.

This may not be top of the heap, but it holds its own in the world of Pixars and DreamWorks. Well done!