...smooth pacing and plenty of action, yet enough moments of pure emotion to tie everything together.
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From Warner Brothers Home Video comes the follow-up to 2004's feature length CG production of "Appleseed." Also based on the original comic by Shirow Masamune, "Appleseed: EX Machina" is once again helmed by Shinji Aramaki as director. However, this time around, he is joined by famed action film director John Woo. Together, they worked closely to create a memorable and entertaining action feature.
"Appleseed: EX Machina" is set in a world that is recovering from the ravages of a devastating non-nuclear war. A new society has risen from the ruins of the war, and the central shining beacon of hope for the future of humanity is Olympus, a fantastic marvel of a city, controlled by amazing technology and administered by artificial life forms called bioroids. Bioroids are created from the DNA of humans, however it has been manipulated so that extreme human emotions are suppressed. This allows the society to maintain a calm, non-violent peace. Thanks to their level-headed personalities, many bioroids work in government positions, or as ambassadors or diplomats.
Technology has also advanced far enough to allow those who were physically injured in the war to regain their mobility and physical functionality by becoming cyborgs. This technology is extended to everyone, so there are average, civilian cyborgs as well as more advanced and specialized cyborgs who work in the police forces and military.
This movie follows the continuing adventures of one such specialized cyborg, Briareos, and his human partner, Deunan. They have been together as partners and lovers through the war, before he became a cyborg, and after, working for the E.S.W.A.T police special forces. They are a highly trained and skilled unit that are deployed for the most dangerous missions. Briareos's cyborg body is more advanced than most.
Even though he is a cyborg, Briareos retains all of his human emotions. He loves Deunan, and fights to protect her. She cares equally for him, and knows he is the only partner for her. However, when he is injured during a terrorist attack, things become very complicated. Filling in as Deunan 's new partner while Briareos recovers is Tereus, a new bioroid prototype that has been developed to work not as a diplomat or ambassador, but as a member of the police forces. He is the perfect, level-headed, fighting weapon. This prototype is highly unusual on its own, but what makes matters exceptionally uncomfortable is the fact that he was created using Briareos's genetic material. Looking and sounding exactly like Briareos did before he was injured in the war, Deunan has a difficult time even facing Tereus, much less working as his partner. In turn, he seems to not only share Briareos's physical form, but he carries some of the same emotion for Deunan as well.
However, there is not much time to dwell on the complicated relationship between Deunan, Briareos, and Tereus. The terrorist attack that injured Briareos was not a fluke. Something or someone has found a way to gain control of civilian cyborgs and humans alike, and is using them to form a massive, zombie-like army. At the same time, global leaders are struggling to find a way to meet and come to a compromise regarding important satellite technology. The terrorist army is attacking at just the wrong time in world-relations. Who is controlling the civilian cyborgs, and how? What is their goal? With the police forces of Olympus tied up fighting an advancing human army, it's up to Deunan to find the answer, as no cyborg or human is safe, and even Briareos has become a target.
"Appleseed: EX Machina" is an enjoyable, if not exactly original, film. It is visually stunning, but I couldn't help but feel like I was watching a video game. I have not seen the first "Appleseed" CG feature (something that did not hinder my enjoyment of this one) however, the special features include clips from that film, and it is obvious that the CG technology has improved immensely from that film to this one. It treads a very close line between reality and animation for me. I couldn't decide if the realistic animation was off-putting or attractive. All of the characters have such perfect, beautiful forms and features, it is almost a little creepy. I couldn't help but think that if they were going to all this trouble to make things look realistic, they should have just filmed a live action movie. Once the initial shock of how the characters and environment looked wore off, I was able to settle into the film a bit more, but it was still just a bit weird.
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