Astro Boy (PG) ***
From an auspicious beginning in a 1951 Japanese manga comic book created by Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy has become firmly embedded in popular culture around the world.
In his native Japanese, the eponymous little robot has appeared on postage stamps, and in 2004 Astro Boy joined C-3PO from the Star Wars saga and Robby The Robot from Forbidden Planet in the hallowed Robot Hall Of Fame.
This iconic figure takes flight in a shiny, new computer-animated adventure directed by David Bowers, with a simple storyline that puts a futuristic spin on the classic tale of Pinocchio.
Dr Tenma (voiced by Nicolas Cage) is a brilliant scientist working in the crowded, airborne community of Metro City under militaristic President Stone (Donald Sutherland).
He is devoted to his son Toby (Freddie Highmore), a chip off the old block, who dies in freakish circumstances during a demonstration of a volatile dark power source called the Red Core, harnessed by Dr Elefun (Bill Nighy).
Consumed by grief, Tenma resolves to replace his son with a super-powered robot clone implanted with Toby's memories, which will look, sound and even behave like the offspring he lost.
Astro Boy erupts to life, powered by the Blue Core, a purely positive energy source, which must never come into contact with the Red Core.
However, Stone wants to get his hands on the Blue Core and he dispatches his robots to destroy Astro Boy.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Saturday 11 February 2012
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