The Door into Summer (Natsu e no Tobira: Kimi no Iru Mirai e/夏への扉 キミのいる未来へ) is a sci-fi movie directed by Takahiro Miki and stars Kento Yamazaki (Alice in Borderland), Kaya Kiyohara, and Naohito Fujiki, alongside other cast members. The movie is 118 minutes long and is based on the novel of the same name by Robert A. Heinlein.
Netflix describes the movie as:
A pioneering roboticist awakens in 2025 after decades in cryosleep. To change the past and reunite with his adopted sister, he seeks a way back to 1995.
– The Door into Summer review does not contain spoilers –
The best part about The Door into Summer is Pete, the cat. A mushy sci-fi flick, the movie feels pretty boring throughout which is never a good thing for sci-fi. Although it tries to be futuristic and out there, it never really gets to that throbbing and tense edge-of-your-seat thriller. Sadly, it’s quite the opposite – it’s boring as hell. So much happens but none of it is showcased to be even mildly interesting. There are tons of dialogue that bog down the runtime, especially in the opening scenes.
Plus, personally, sci-fi films with a huge helping of melodrama can be tricky business and that’s exactly what is wrong with this movie. There’s just so much melodrama packed into its excessive runtime that you just want it to do anything even remotely thrilling. Additionally, Soichiro’s defeatist attitude from moment one of the movie is just not interesting or attractive.
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I also don’t understand why protagonists think that it’s a good idea to tell the bad guy all of their plans to get back what they deserve. I’m so confused as to what the motivation might be for doing that. Soichiro tells Rin everything that he is about to do and gets stabbed with Kazuhito’s insulin shot and is then promptly put inside a cryogenic chamber.
The second half isn’t better, although the humanoid robots are interesting to watch. The problem with The Door Into Summer is that it feels like it flows without any real goal in mind. There are too many emotional aspects for a movie that is very much science-based. Every scene is loaded with some emotional aspect for the other and stretched out to the max. Soichiro’s android friend Pete forms the only relief in the second half, much like feline Pete in the first. Other than that, there’s very little to look forward to here.
The most interesting that the movie comes up with is when Toi and Soichiro come up with something fantastic and the explanation of how everything comes to be in the future makes for good cinema. Had the movie stuck with this instead of crying and wallowing and backstabbing, it would’ve been an awesome watch. Regardless, these small moments of intrigue are what keep this movie somewhat watchable.
Summing up: The Door into Summer
The Door into Summer is a boring sci-fi movie, which is a shame because the humanoids are absolutely amazing. Pete-13 would’ve made for a great protagonist with feline Pete as his best friend. I mean, Kento Yamazaki is great, but my vote goes to Naohito Fujiki playing a humanoid trying to take another one out. It’s hilarious. But, unfortunately, that’s all there is to it.
The Door into Summer is streaming on Netflix.
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Have you read the novel?? Lmao dude go read the novel. The movie stayed true to the novel.
The cat did need more screen time. I think they actually improved on the book a bit.