Search - Appleseed (Widescreen) (2004) on DVD


Appleseed (Widescreen) (2004)
Appleseed
Widescreen
Actors: Ai Kobayashi, Jűrôta Kosugi, Yuki Matsuoka, Asumi Miwa, Akimoto Tsubasa
Director: Shinji Aramaki
Genres: Action & Adventure, Indie & Art House, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Anime & Manga, Animation
R     2005     1hr 45min

Earth's last city, Olympus, rose from the ashes of a global war on the backs of Bioroids, artificial clones who make up half the city's population. Under the strict guidance of a supercomputer, humanity's last survivor...  more »

     

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Member Movie Reviews

Jim M. from WEST GLOVER, VT
Reviewed on 12/23/2021...
Appleseed (2004), originally titled Appurushîdo, is a 3D live action anime (according to the director) thriller with the usual Japanese superb graphics and excitement, and, yes, sometimes, confusion. Well, it is the movie version of an anime series after all. It takes nearly ten minutes to see anything but dark combat between machines, monsters, and soldiers, especially female ones. But then, I think we realize that we have witnessed one of several flashbacks in the badlands. Scenes like this are sprinkled throughout the film presumably with the sole purpose of keeping the viewer confused. Then we are introduced to Olympus, a gorgeous utopian society with huge skyscrapers, floating vehicles, much green space, and lots of happy people. Yet, apparently all of the people may not actually be happy. Well, happy, yes, but people, sort of no; they are bioroids. Although that term is explained, it is still not really clear if they are flesh and blood, or manufactured. Apparently that is irrelevant as the bioroids can’t reproduce, which, presumably, is why Olympus is a happy utopia. So, where’s the excitement? What makes this an utopia? It seems that total control of Olympus is maintained by a “big brother,” which is apparently a computer, depicted as a transparent sphere, called, ironically, Gaia. But we know that computers can’t create an utopia, so Olympus has several old guys (now we’re talking!). The seven Elders, who work with Gaia to create/control Olympus. These might be real old men floating around on comfortable anti-gravity chairs. So where’s the plot, this is leading us nowhere. Now the baddies are introduced, finally. They are apparently humans, and might only be some of the male soldiers. Now we’re talking? Not yet, friends. The protagonists are all sexy, provocatively-clad young females. Yes, NOW you’re talking! They are the super warrior Deunan Knute introduced in the opening ten minutes, Hitomi, Deunan’s Olympus control/sidekick, and the prime minister, Athena. (I found it interesting that Athena is obviously, and proudly, depicted as older, yet in the final scene, if you use your imagination, miraculously becomes younger.) And to prevent any accusations of feminism, there is the male soldier and previous romantic interest of Deunan, Briareos. Unfortunately, the latter is fully clad in the very unsexy bionic-like getup of a terribly mutilated soldier. So we have a bunch of nasty males battling some sexy females, and a damaged male. Who wins? Well, pick your sides, and you’ll have to watch this good movie to find out.
Brad S. (Snibot) from DALLAS, TX
Reviewed on 3/28/2010...
One of the better anime, there are a few things that lack and that I why I can't really give it the 5 stars.

The artwork is really good, except in spots it becomes very two dimensional, for the most part it is really good, and for the time-frame it is above average.

The script is excellent, though some of the translations were better in the subtitles than in the English dub over. I would highly recommend if you want to watch it in English, put the subtitles on.

Voice acting is wonderful both Japanese and English are well done, though I feel that some of the Japanese extras were far better, some of the main characters were better in the English dub. Though the English dub does add a bunch of profanities that are simply not needed.

If you are into Anime this movie is right up there, if you are new to the genre and want to see something akin to blade runner then you are better off with Ghost in the Shell, unless you like 80s and early 90s graphic styles. This story can stand up against Ghost in the Shell, but the artwork not quite as good.
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Movie Reviews

A secret history
bonsai chicken | United States | 07/17/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)

"Based on the comic book series by Masamune Shirow, APPLESEED takes place on a future Earth following a massive world war. A small zone of peace and civilization exists in Olympus, a city overseen by the supercomputer Gaia. Balance is kept via the coexistence of humans and bioroids, artificial beings with suppressed emotions (who are thus less likely to lead to dissent and more war.) But as it is human nature to fear other races, many fear a time when bioroids will control humans. It is up to skilled warrior Deunan Knute to unlock the secret from her past that will prevent a new conflict from breaking out.

This version of APPLESEED is entirely computer generated, to varying degrees of success. The outdoor night scenes look spectacular, while day and indoor scenes look rather artificial. At first I thought the human characters were hand drawn, but they too are rendered, though not as fully as those in 2001's FINAL FANTASY movie. They appear flat and doll-like next to the scenery and mechanical constructs, with their hair curiously molded. It might have been better if they had been done the old-fashioned way after all.

The film is presented on DVD in three 5.1 soundtracks: English Dolby Digital, Japanese Dolby Digital, and Japanese DTS. I'm not set up for DTS yet so I watched it with the second option, and it sounded fantastic. This is a movie you'll want to show off your surround sound system with.

Extras on the standard DVD edition include a director and producer commentary, previews for other Geneon releases, and staff biographies. You can also jump directly to the musical sequences within the film; featured artists (with biographies) include Boom Boom Satellites, Paul Oakenfold, Ryuichi Sakamoto and others. There is also an advert for the CD soundtrack, and DVD credits, but it's reaching a bit to call these extras.

This film has been rated R by the MPAA which I think is harsh. Except for a little bloody violence in the opening sequence, there's nothing in APPLESEED that wouldn't be appropriate for younger viewers, although the story may fly over their heads. If you're going to watch it around kids, you might want to just jump past the first chapter. Or not.

Despite the ambitious nature of the production, I found it left me a bit cold overall. This may be stating the obvious, since most of the characters we meet are artificial, but there is very little emotion or humanity in the story. I didn't care much about any of them. The story isn't very involving, and Deunan's ties with Olympus' origins felt contrived. It's worth renting if you're a CG enthusiast, but I can't give this a strong recommendation otherwise."
Give this Appleseed a chance!
john fallen | native Virginian | 04/11/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my first review for Amazon. I've always felt that the reviews that I read were adequate to represent the movies and anime that I liked. Not this time.
I have an extensive collection of anime. Everything from the really silly stuff, filled with fan service, to the very serious classics that so many fans rave about. I'm not really into the mecha thing, though I do have a lot of it. It's the animation first that drives my interest, then its the story and the character development are close seconds.
Appleseed has all that I'm looking for in an anime, and in Spades. Great characters, a well crafted plot, and some of the best animation I have ever see. To say, as some reviewers have, that the movement in this version are unnatural,is more than unfair, it's just not true. All action is extremely lifelike, and the action scenes are the best I've ever seen. I actually found myself reversing the disc to rewatch some action repeatedly, something I never do.
I've owned this version of Appleseed a few weeks now, and I have watched it at least five times, and am looking forward to another veiwing soon.
I have relied on Amazon reveiws to decide whether or not to buy anime in the past, so I hope that this reveiw is helpful. There is a lot of good anime worth investing in, and this one is near the top of my list."
"Boiroids don't kill other bioroids."
Marc Ruby? | Warren, MI USA | 11/12/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)

"Close to the beginnings of my anime reviewing here I saw the 2001 Final Fantasy release. This set a standard for CGI that may very well never be equaled without a significant technology breakthrough. Another notable film of the period was the original Ghost in the Shell, had outstanding animation. Appleseed has much in common with both films. It shares the heavy use of CGI, and some interesting bits of underlying philosophy with Final Fantasy. And, like Ghost, it was created from a manga series from Masamune Shirow. If you're familiar with Ghost in the Shell you may very well see the world of Appleseed as that post-apocalyptic version of Ghost's, which was already unraveling.

Here the world is mostly ruined, other than a small colony composed of humans and bioroids - androids whose primary function seems to be to balance humanity's tendency to self-destruct. They are indistinguishable from humans other than that they lack the ability to breed, and cannot feel anger. Yet all this is apparently to no avail. With no outer war to distract them mankind has opted for inner violence, and Olympus is torn by human fear of the bioroids.

Into this comes Deunan Knute, a deadly woman warrior who is the daughter of a woman who helped create the first bioroids, and, in the company of Briarius, and old lover who has become more machine than human, Deunan is Olympus's hope for the future. Buried within her mind is the key that will complete the bioroids, and give them the capability to love and have children. The events trigger an Armageddon like confrontation.

The story is almost successful, despite it's somewhat simplistic characterization. Director Shinji Arimaki fails to provide some needed continuity, though. The result is that important things happen off-stage and there are too many unexplained switches in the plot. Arimaki has seized the primary theme of human anger, suspicion and xenophobia, thrown in a lost of admittedly spectacular scenery and fight scenes. But he only pays lip service to the deeper questions of human nature that Shirow often addresses. The result is an vary entertaining film that just misses the mark.

That being said, it's still worth watching. There is an earlier animation film of this story that enjoys a significant cult following. I would like to see that, and look at the manga as well. There is something to this that does capture the imagination, and there's more to be found than what this film focuses on."