60
Dry storytelling and boy's-toys mechanics will stop this from being the next "Spirited Away"-style crossover hit.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
100
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
Visually stunning animation.
80
The movie's true genius lies in the exquisite animation, a blend of hand-drawn and state-of-the-art digital technology that suggests an old world being bullied into a new one.
80
Steamboy doesn't have the deep melancholia or the visionary élan of last year's Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Consistent in its graphic invention from first to last, however, it's a sensationally designed piece of work. (The retro stylistics are comparable to Brazil, David Lynch's Dune, and The Iron Giant.)
70
Visually commanding, conceptually beguiling, but dramatically inert.
80
The New York Times by Janet Maslin
The film turns into a preposterous but engrossing spectacle, fueled by a resource more enduring than steam or its successors: big ideas.
60
TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh
The sci-fi wonders, including an army of shuddering robo-soldiers and one-man, steam-powered bombers with delicate wood-and-linen wings, are truly marvelous and go a long way toward making up for the film's erratic pacing.
80
The Hollywood Reporter by Richard James Havis
It's a roller-coaster action film that thunders along with top-notch set pieces and studiously researched period settings. The only letdown is that the focus on action drowns out any character development.
80
The A.V. Club by Tasha Robinson
Steamboy adds a touch of innocent wonder to the formula through Ray's eyes, resulting in Otomo's most human film to date, but humanity rarely seems to be among Otomo's priorities. His films seem far more concerned with the spectacle he manages like no one else in animation.