SUMMER WARS
(Japan/2009–directed by Mamoru Hosoda)
When young Kenji solves a 2,056 digit math riddle sent to his cell phone, he unwittingly breaches the security barricade protecting Oz, a globe-spanning virtual world where people and governments interact through avatars. This intelligent cyberpunk/sci-fi story is a visual tour-de-force of anime; Oz itself is a hallucinatory pixel parade of cool avatar designs, kung fu jackrabbits, toothy bears, and a bursting rainbow of colors. (114 min.)
