Appleseed Ex Machina (Ws) [HD DVD] [2007] [US Import]

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Customer reviews

review by: God of Gods date: 2008-08-09 rating:
Great sci-fi fantasy
I enjoyed the 80's version of Appleseed when I was a teenager and when I learned of the Appleseed reboot I immediately went out and got myself a copy of the DVD. It was pretty damn good and figured that it was a one-off. But now we have this sequel which proves that there is actually loads of potential and imagination in the Appleseed universe and certainly enough to warrant further sequels. br / br /Denaun Knute and her mostly robotic, rabbit-eared boyfriend Briareos are still working for ESWAT in the Utopian future city of Olympus when a new personal device, a sort cross between a cell phone and a holographic visor, goes haywire and turns the population into a bunch of techno-zombies. Briareos suffers seizures of his own too and a duplicate of his old human form has been recruited to work with them and save the city from this mysterious evil. br / br /Yes, it's nonsense. But entertaining nonsense and a weird cross between Robocop [Blu-ray] [1987], Star Trek First Contact - Dvd [1996] and The Matrix/Matrix Reloaded/Matrix Revolutions [Blu-ray] [1999]. But the animation is gorgeous and the story and action absurd enough to keep your attention. br / br /Come on, John Woo, give us another 'un. br / br /The Blu Ray features a very nice 1.85:1 1080p transfer with Dolby Digital Plus sound and a decent amount of extras. I recommend.

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review by: date: 2008-04-28 rating:
Extremely disappointing.
I expected to be very impressed by this work, I have great appreciation for the various iterations of 'Ghost In The Shell' (also Masamune Shirow) and all the review are good. Well that doesn't explain why I gave up on 'Appleseed Ex Machina' 75% through the movie. Perhaps the 'Avoid' sticker on the box ('A John Woo presentation') should have been responded too but I thought it was a marketing ploy only. Well John Woo specializes in action over intelligence for 12 year old male consumption and this title is no different. The dialogue, vocal performances and plot are ridiculously puerile to the point that they could all have been written and performed by a 12 year old boy. The dialogue clunks along with cliche after badly performed cliche and plot development has all the subtlety of a 'Police Academy' movie. None of the characters are believable, none are performed well. The animation style makes them all look about 17 years old, even the political hierarchy. The visual style is wretched: the E-Swat team wear contemporary police uniforms supposedly over 100 years hence. The technology is less advanced and believable than the GITS universe which is less than 30 years away and the Appleseed universe as a whole is just not plausible even with a major suspension of disbelief. Add to that the fact that the animation is quite poor at times (Final Fantasy from several years ago annihilates it) and has none of the pop that I expect from a blu-ray presentation (try Tekkonkinkreet if you want the real thing in visual and intellectual depth) and I sincerely suggest that you look elsewhere.

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review by: ea_solinas date: 2008-03-25 rating:
You're my partner
One of the more underdeveloped storylines from "Appleseed" was the relationship between Deunan Knute and her cyborg love, Briareos. br / br /Well, "Appleseed Ex Machina" more than makes up for that. In fact, this CGI action flick boasts upgrades in every area -- a tighter plot, more complex conspiracies, and more lifelike animation. It's a stunning experience with loads of fiery, spinning action scenes, albeit with a slightly improbable villain. br / br /Olympus has a new threat -- brainwashed cyborgs that are kidnapping officials, and disrupting planetary peace. During a rescue mission, Briareos is injured and hospitalized for awhile -- and Deunan introduced to her new partner Tereus -- a warrior bioroid cloned from Briareos' DNA. She's furious, Briareos is depressed, and all three are confused by Tereus' similarities to Briareos. br / br /But when President Athena calls an international conference, E-SWAT only narrowly stops an attack force -- of cyborgs and ordinary humans who have somehow been possessed by a mechanical goo. Their message: "I am Halcon... all will be one." And worst of all, Briareos is somehow being affected by the baddies, so he decides to do some investigating on his own. Now Deunan, Briareos and Tereus must join forces despite their tension, and stop a malevolent conspiracy that threatens the entire world.... br / br /While the first "Appleseed" movie had a rather simple plot, "Appleseed Ex Machina" tends toward complexity. Everything is bigger -- the conspiracies, the mad scientist stuff, the potential warfare, and even the love story. And despite its fuller plot, the sequel actually manages to cram in some quiet moments between robot battles and personal scuffles. br / br /Director Shinji Aramaki does a pretty good job with a pretty good plot -- he unrolls it gradually, filling it with tension and horror at all the right moments. It kicks off strongly with an explosive, fire-and-darkness battle in an abandoned cathedral, and doesn't slow much down. Lots of explosive battles and zombiesque attacks, but not so many that it overwhelms the storyline. br / br /Along the way, Aramaki drops in some very "human" scenes, such as a funeral and Hitomi's glammy birthday party. In fact, there are even some funny, cute moments such as Briareos and Deunan tussling over some monitoring wires in the hospital. These moments keep them acting like people. br / br /What's the problem? Well, while Aramaki succeeds in surprising us with the main villain, it's revealed rather late in the movie, and there's never much of a motive. br / br /But the CG animation is stunning. There's everything from mid-air shootouts to serpentine silver tentacles. Even the settlings are striking, with their Greco-futuristic marble, columns and sci-fi gadgets. And there's a breathtaking level of detail -- reflections, light, raindrops on Briareos' metal face, and tiny facial chances. Some character still have "doll face," but not as much. br / br /But this movie gets its heart from the love triangle, which is thankfully handled in a mature manner. Deunan and Briareos' loving, intense relationship gets plenty of cute moments, despite the confusion that Tereus causes them. And Tereus is a well-drawn rival, with a lot of Briareos' rough kindness, but also the insecurities of being a "copy." br / br /And Aramaki particularly concentrates on Briareos' fears that Deunan will prefer a flesh-and-blood lover, and that he is gradually losing his sanity. There's an undercurrent of raw pain when he screams at Tereus, "why do you have everything I've lost?" br / br /"Appleseed Ex Machina" is a worthy sequel that actually tops the preceding film -- a stunning CGI shell around a solid sci-fi/love story. Definitely worth checking out.


review by: Exocet.Ed date: 2008-03-20 rating:
Appleseed Ex Machina
Masamune Shirow's best Manga gets the treatment it deserves with the latest incarnation Appleseed Ex Machina. Quite possibly the best Anime' movie released to date with stunning visuals to boot! If you like Anime you will love this film great action set pieces produced with John Woo's input to ratchet up the action to a level not usually found in an anime' movie. In addition there's some great extras on the blu ray including a history of appleseed with a rare series of comments from Masamune Shirow himself. br /I cannot recomend buying this movie enough with no region coding on the Blu ray disc it lit up my PS3 LCD like no other Anime' movie.

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Video . DVD Blu-ray . Categories . Anime . All Anime
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . HD DVD
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Region(feature_browse-bin)
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 2000 and later
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Language (theme_browse-bin) . English

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