Movie News | Upcoming Movies | Movie Reviews | Celebrity Interviews | Movie Posters | Movie Forum | Movie Trailers | DVD News | TV News
|
Jordans Appleseed Movie Review
Posted by:Wow... Thats about all I could say after watching Appleseed for the first time. If you all don't remember, I reported on this movie shortly after returning from Festival of Fear. At the festival I received a trailer DVD from Geneon Entertainment (a division of Pioneer) showcasing all of their most recent and upcoming anime releases.
One of those releases was a little film called Appleseed. Well, I suppose I shouldn't say 'little' since this was one of the most anticipated animes of all time. It's the first fully 3D CGI movie out of Japan which blends the use of fully 3D CGI backgrounds with traditional cell-shaded characters. The characters, however, are also 3D...it's really amazing how they've created this world.
Well...needless to say I couldn't wait for the Jan 14th North American release (It's only being released in major cities in the US like Chicago, San Francisco, New York, etc) so I got my hands on a copy from Japan (thank you ebay!)
I popped the DVD in and fired it up and was blown away...this was just an amazing film and possibly the best anime I've ever seen. Now granted my experience with anime is limited compared to others, I've only watched probably about a half dozen or more animes in my life, and I'm sure thats because I am so picky with what I watch.
However I digress...Appleseed is absolutely stunning. It is a work of art and should be seen as such. Just so you know, I'm not just gushing about the visuals either...the story was very very good as well, and a big part of the reason that this is my new favorite movie. Lets go into a little bit about the story.
The year is 2131AD. Mankind has almost wiped itself off the planet thanks to a number of world wars. Humanity, though, is still resilient and was able to pull itself from the ashes and found a new super-city called Olympus. Thanks to the research of one Dr. Katherine, a new race of humans was created whom are called Bioroids.
A Bioroid is an elite human clone...not an actual clone of a person, but a human with improved skills, higher intelligence and supposedly controlled emotions. Half the population of Olympus is Bioroids and they peacefully co-exist with their human counterparts. However, all is not well...
As would be expected, some humans resent the Bioroids. Historically humans are always threatened by a 'superior' race, even if the Bioroids are subservient to humans. Unrest is growing and it doesn't help matters that the head of the Olympus military, General Uranus, is a known opponent of Bioroids.
One of the new citizens of Olympus is Duenan, a female soldier who is rescued from the battlegrounds early on in the film (after a very cool action sequence). She is brought to the city to be part of the elite ESWAT team, which is under direct control of Athena, the head of Olympus (ESWAT is a seperate entity from the Army, so you can see where this is headed). Anyways, Duenan finds out that her ex-lover, Briareos, who she thought died on the fields of Africa, was actually saved. However, the cost of his life? He is now encased in a cyborg shell.
This is of course quite a shock to Duenan, but she slowly begins to adjust to life in Olympus and becomes a member of ESWAT. She also befriends her guide (and the woman who helped save her from the battlefields), Hitomi, which is one of the thousands of Bioroids who populate the city. Life, however, is rarely so easy. As time goes by Duenan is chased by unknown people and is asked to find something called 'Appleseed'. Apparently Duenan knows something about this, but just can't remember how she knows...
What is Appleseed? Why do the Seven Old Men want it? How is Duenan involved in all of this?
Well...as much as I'd love to tell you and ruin the entire movie, I won't! Instead I suggest that you check this flick out as it is most enjoyable. The story is great, the character interaction is great...you can really feel the emotion from these characters, even if they are animated. And of course, you can't forget the action which, thanks to the 3D CGI, is out of this world!
Appleseed is one anime you will not regret watching, even if you aren't an anime fan!!
One of those releases was a little film called Appleseed. Well, I suppose I shouldn't say 'little' since this was one of the most anticipated animes of all time. It's the first fully 3D CGI movie out of Japan which blends the use of fully 3D CGI backgrounds with traditional cell-shaded characters. The characters, however, are also 3D...it's really amazing how they've created this world.
Well...needless to say I couldn't wait for the Jan 14th North American release (It's only being released in major cities in the US like Chicago, San Francisco, New York, etc) so I got my hands on a copy from Japan (thank you ebay!)
I popped the DVD in and fired it up and was blown away...this was just an amazing film and possibly the best anime I've ever seen. Now granted my experience with anime is limited compared to others, I've only watched probably about a half dozen or more animes in my life, and I'm sure thats because I am so picky with what I watch.
However I digress...Appleseed is absolutely stunning. It is a work of art and should be seen as such. Just so you know, I'm not just gushing about the visuals either...the story was very very good as well, and a big part of the reason that this is my new favorite movie. Lets go into a little bit about the story.
The year is 2131AD. Mankind has almost wiped itself off the planet thanks to a number of world wars. Humanity, though, is still resilient and was able to pull itself from the ashes and found a new super-city called Olympus. Thanks to the research of one Dr. Katherine, a new race of humans was created whom are called Bioroids.
A Bioroid is an elite human clone...not an actual clone of a person, but a human with improved skills, higher intelligence and supposedly controlled emotions. Half the population of Olympus is Bioroids and they peacefully co-exist with their human counterparts. However, all is not well...
As would be expected, some humans resent the Bioroids. Historically humans are always threatened by a 'superior' race, even if the Bioroids are subservient to humans. Unrest is growing and it doesn't help matters that the head of the Olympus military, General Uranus, is a known opponent of Bioroids.
One of the new citizens of Olympus is Duenan, a female soldier who is rescued from the battlegrounds early on in the film (after a very cool action sequence). She is brought to the city to be part of the elite ESWAT team, which is under direct control of Athena, the head of Olympus (ESWAT is a seperate entity from the Army, so you can see where this is headed). Anyways, Duenan finds out that her ex-lover, Briareos, who she thought died on the fields of Africa, was actually saved. However, the cost of his life? He is now encased in a cyborg shell.
This is of course quite a shock to Duenan, but she slowly begins to adjust to life in Olympus and becomes a member of ESWAT. She also befriends her guide (and the woman who helped save her from the battlefields), Hitomi, which is one of the thousands of Bioroids who populate the city. Life, however, is rarely so easy. As time goes by Duenan is chased by unknown people and is asked to find something called 'Appleseed'. Apparently Duenan knows something about this, but just can't remember how she knows...
What is Appleseed? Why do the Seven Old Men want it? How is Duenan involved in all of this?
Well...as much as I'd love to tell you and ruin the entire movie, I won't! Instead I suggest that you check this flick out as it is most enjoyable. The story is great, the character interaction is great...you can really feel the emotion from these characters, even if they are animated. And of course, you can't forget the action which, thanks to the 3D CGI, is out of this world!
Appleseed is one anime you will not regret watching, even if you aren't an anime fan!!
Review by Jordan, MoviesOnline contributor!
| Tweet | Share |
|
|
