Summer Wars Review

Disclaimer: This is not really a review, but a rant!

Let me just preface this by saying that I enjoyed watching Summer Wars, but I feel as though it's the type of film that is inevitably prone to being picked apart and overanalysed as soon as one steps outside after watching it; such was the case for me. As a result I was astonished upon looking up the film afterwards, to find that Summer Wars has won awards!

I get that OZ is supposed to be analogous to the internet of our world, but it is the source of most of the film's criticism by myself and friends I spoke to about it. Since OZ both has a promotional video, and requires users to create accounts to use it, I would assume it is an online platform owned and operated by a single company. Why is it then, when millions of accounts start being hacked and the risk of a nuclear accident is posed, that the single company operating it can't just pull the plug on the servers or ban the compromised accounts? Why are space agencies and public services even relying on some random social media for critical tasks? Why is the OZ software, capable of navigating satellites, able to run on DSes and mobile phones? I understand perfectly well that some films are best experienced with one's brain turned off, but Summer Wars left me with far too many questions to just keep my mouth shut. During the film I did wonder whether it was going to try and push a message about not relying on the internet in every aspect of our lives, especially when the old lady started dialling people on the landline during the chaos, but my wondering was short lived and the film did not go this route. This was disappointing, as it would have been all the more relevant in this day and age with the old phone lines being torn up and replaced with internet-based alternatives. Likewise, Summer Wars could have gone the route of critcising our reliance on large corporations to keep our data secure and to deliver reliable services, but nothing was made of this. Perhaps I unfairly write this all with the benefit of hindsight, but the foundations for such messages were definitely laid down and nothing was done with them. Arguably there is relevance in an AI model being responsible for the chaos, but numerous other films have done this and I firmly believe this was just a convenient catalyst for the plot rather than any genuine attempt to criticise AI.

Summer Wars does not do a good job, or really any sort of job at all, at giving any depth to its characters; I can't even remember their names. The huge cast means most simply serve as cardboard cutouts to fill the screen. The romance is so awfully forced that the actual romance is, I would argue, skipped altogether since main character and the girl he likes just go straight into marriage after holding hands once. I have nothing else to say about the characters whatsoever, they are just that plain.

I finish by reiterating that this isn't really a review, and more of a critique or just a rant about my frustrations with the film. The film was decently enjoyable, the comedy got me laughing at times, and the Pentagon being at fault for the global chaos was realistic and perhaps the most relevant commentary the film makes.