Appleseed Ex Machina [Blu-ray]

Buy This Item Appleseed Ex Machina [Blu-ray] by Warner Home Video  Available from Amazon  $23.95  on 8-25-2008     Produced by John Woo and directed by Shinji Aramaki, <I>Appleseed Ex Machina</I> (2007) ranks as the most elaborate, stylish, and violent of the three adaptations of Masamune Shirow's manga. When it was released in 1988, the original <I>Appleseed</I> felt like a summary of anime's past, while <I>Akira</I> pointed the way to the future. The second <I>Appleseed</I> (2004), also directed by Aramaki, was an unimpressive motion-capture CG feature that borrowed elements from other sci-fi anime. In this latest incarnation, Deunan, Briareos, and Tereus of the E.S.W.A.T. team are charged with preserving the peace of the city-state of Olympus, a hi-tech paradise on a largely ruined Earth. Screenwriters Kiyoto Takeuchi and Todd W. Russell have given the story a contemporary twist, adding attacks by "cyborg terrorists" and an effort by the ruler of Olympus to control a world-wide satellite surveillance system. When cyborgs and human launch coordinated attacks on the government headquarters in Olympus, Deunan, Briareos, and Tereus swing into action against a mysterious enemy. The plot has little in common with the earlier films: the Appleseed technology that was at the core of the story isn't even mentioned. The look, tone, and characters in <I>Ex Machina</I> recall Shirow's <I>Ghost in the Shell</I>, rather than the original <I>Appleseed</I>. Not surprisingly, the elaborately choreographed fight scenes reflect Woo's signature style, with slo-mo martial-arts combat, close-ups of falling shells, dynamic camerawork, and all-out gun battles. But the weightless movements of the motion-capture characters and the limited rendering of the skin textures gives <I>Appleseed Ex Machina</I> the feel of an extremely elaborate computer game. Despite the limits of the mo-cap technology, <I>Appleseed Ex Machina</I> is a fast-past, take-no-prisoners cinematic adventure that will delight action-movie fans as well as anime lovers. (Rated PG-13: violence, violence against women, profanity, grotesque imagery, potentially offensive religious imagery.) <I>--Charles Solomon</I> Reader Reviews correction to Mr. (The Bandit King) this is the blu-ray format and not the HD-DVD, so have fun everyone this one is a great movie.

Appleseed Ex Machina [Blu-ray] Available from Amazon Price: $23.95 Updated on 8-25-2008.

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