This was not a great movie, but it had one transcendent piece and one very nice piece that elevated it a bit in my mind:

  1. A depiction of a Second Life-esque universe that was legitimately awesome both in terms of aesthetics and creativity, complete with the kind of creative character design that I would associate with something closer to a JRPG.
  2. A very, very sweet (and Persona-esque) deus ex machina moment that served as the very anime climax to the movie.

I don't think I'd handily recommend it to folks, but those parts were fun and inventive that it's worth a positive score.

★★★

Lightning bolt
About Summer Wars

Lightning bolt
About the author

I'm Justin Duke — a software engineer, writer, and founder. I currently work as the CEO of Buttondown, the best way to start and grow your newsletter, and as a partner at Third South Capital.

Lightning bolt
Greatest hits

Lightning bolt
Elsewhere

Lightning bolt
Don't miss the next essay

Get a monthly roundup of everything I've written: no ads, no nonsense.