With 20 family members and an infinite online universe, the scope of this project is too ambitious and at times it's an incoherent mess. Even if the virtual world is visually creative, it hasn't much aesthetic value and flying around in 3D spaces isn't exactly original. Emotionally this film is still in kindergarten and that's the generation the overly cartoonish characters seem to be aimed at. Picks up towards the end but is also far too long. There have been far better cyber-thriller animes.

A little bit slow and a little bit all over the place. The animation was great if not particularly amazing or memorable. The characters were all likeable and the ending was superb I though. The story as a whole was ok, but it felt like 2 different films mashed into 1 at the last minute. Not enough focus on the romantic side of the film, I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff, one of the reasons why I love the directors previous film, 'The girl who leapt through time'

Loads of interesting characters, inspired animation and an interesting subject matter that tied rather well with the family side of things. Enjoyed it quite a bit.

Had potential but was too all over the place.

It's like "Digimon: The Movie" but not shitty.

A fantastic sci-fi film about the place where both the internet gaming community and family meet. Fantastic.

This films two parts come together unexpectedly well, and I appreciated the melange of absurdisty and sentimentality. There could have been some improvement with regards to the character development as it relies too heavily on tropes and expectations, but the plot was intriguing and fresh in its composition.

Brilliant anime. With animation that is smooth and seamless, has a story that is captivating, and also a lot of cool moments that make you wish the land of OZ was real. Again, fun movie, worth it to pick it up if you see it at a store.

Perhaps it spreads itself a little thin conceptually, but the premise is still interesting and overall "Summer Wars" is very entertaining. The characters are really great and the animation is supurb. Hosada is becoming an animator of note. Recommended.

Madhouse never fails on its visuals, and this is no exception (the individuality of the avatars, especially later in the movie, is impressive). Oz is colorful and creative, even if the territoy it's exploring has already been done by WarGames (among other titles), but the real draw is easily Natsuki's family, watching them is half of the fun.

Visually beautiful, intelligent, emotional - good character development, important ingredients of story-telling mixed well to give a wonderful flavor. This is how films should be made. This is why people spend their time/money watching stuff. Entertaining and at the same time has an underlying socially relevant theme that makes us think. Simply great. Successfully portrays one of the baddest villains gleefully creating chaos (probably after Dark knight). The director surpasses his first film.

A charming tale about family, the power of working together and kicking AI in the digital junk. The contrast between the rustic country home and the ever changing online world of OZ keeps the film fresh, but it might take a while before it starts drawing you in. Doesn't go too deep, but has a good sense of fun.

A gem. You should have a smile on your face the entire time. Hosoda's second film lives up to the first.

The family account is fine, fictional cyber universe is a failing one. The movie not knowing where to focus, loses too much time on trivialities ending up mildly entertaining.

No comments. Just a perfect movie. The script, animation, balance between real world and fantasy and that slight sense of a could-be world immerses you in a journey that will mark your lifetime. Must-see.

War Games 2009, via animu.

Likeable characters, an over-the-top story and great production values, combined in a movie that (thankfully) doesn't take itself too seriously. Why everybody sees the need to compare this to Ghibli is beyond me; it doesn't pretend to be anything but good, clean, whimsical fun, and in that regard, it's a success.

Take .hack//sign, add a lot of Pokemon fights and spice it up with a little bit of Ghibli and you've got yourself a Summer Wars. Not a kind of mix you'd wanna watch unless you're an elementary school kid.

Neither transcends the realm of average (meaning pretty bland) animé nor appeals to a more adult age group, this couldn't hold my attention. Actually, it literally managed to put me asleep.

Excellent animation, but some of the story was a little silly, and forced. The virtual world scenes are interesting, though they didn't work for me on a technical level.

Nothing short of a visual triumph. The animation inside of OZ is completely breathtaking. The family is varied, entertaining and likable. Comparisons to Miyazaki are too soon - lacking is the emphatic/emotional, nuanced, and -challenging- moral, social and emotional issues posed even by Miyazaki's earlier work. As an enjoyable ride - Summer Wars is a smashing success. The commentary is there (digital vs real lives), but I found it heavy-handed and secondary to fairly run-of-the-mill devices.

family story line works pretty good but the OZ stuff is just plain stupid.

Lots of fun! Has definite flaws, but provides multiple interesting protagonists and does the "importance of family" thing in a way that ties into the plot without feeling forced. Very Japanese, but in a way that's accessible to everyone. (And is it just me, or does the OZ side of it feel like a remake of Digimon Adventure: Our War Game? By the same director, even.)

Absurdly dumb to the point of poisoning every major non-technical aspect of itself (i.e. plot, character, world, theme, and even genre (due to its scattered plot focus, featuring characters with no rational sense of priority whatsoever)). Most people that have seen it like it, though, so you should ignore me unless you can't get past fundamental counter-intellectualism in a "serious enough" movie. If you thought Utawarerumono was dumb then you shouldn't watch this unless you want to laugh at it.

Most anime try to depict a culture unlike their own, but this one is extremely true to Japanese culture (the importance of family and elders, reliance on mobile phones, obsession with high school baseball and much more) and is much more endearing because of it. It's a shame that the movie revolves so much around the ridiculous social network "Oz." The first half of the movie where that isn't much of an emphasis is fantastic, but once focus draws towards Oz the movie drops to far from believable

Nice animation, however, overall it felt way too childish. I'm going to need far more convincing that Hosoda is the new Miyazaki.