Ranked #1321

Appleseed (2004)

--> Intro:
Appleseed (AS) tells the story of Deunan and Briaeros, mates on the battlefield. The story revolves around battles, mechas, utopian philosophy and some romance. You will also know about Bioroids, which are cloned humans, but with distinct identities.

--> Animation: (10/10)
Really, earning a 10 from me is tough, but Appleseed really amazed me in terms of sheer graphic quality. It's a perfect blend of traditional animation, coupled with very well made CG. The backgrounds and environments are extremely detailed and well done. The same quality can be found in the character designs. Just see how detailed Deunan's hair is, or how the general mechas are done. At one point, you see Deunan resting on a bed. As she drops, you can even see the bed sheets crumpling in very realistic ways. Or the various water and nature scenes, specially rain. They are truly magnificent. AS's animation really deserves applause.

--> Sound: (8/10)
Not much to say here, since the music score of AS is not really that varied. The action scenes have their BGM and I can say these were well selected. They really highlight the action. Dramatic scenes too have their appropriate music, and here too, it's ok. Not much to say, nothing bad, nothing absolutely noticeable. Character voices are well done. However, Deunan's voice is kind of too "feminine". Ok, I know she's a girl, but still, after seeing her fight? I'd put a graver voice on her. xD

--> Story: (9/10)
The story too is really awesome. The plot is consistent, and has lots of twists and turns, until you are told of the final secret, which you really don't expect. The plots flow smoothly, giving details as they flow, and not just flood you at the end. It's an interesting story, very sc-fi like, peppered with a good dose of action. You won't be bored watching it. Maybe at the beginning, when there is quite a lot of talking, but it does not last long. It's a nice story about humans, bioroids, how an utopia functions, how humans can be intolerant, and how the desire for total utopia can be bad. It has some subtle philosophy too, mind you! Overall, I liked.

--> Characters: (7/10)
Maybe, this is the only point AS deceived me a bit. The characters themselves are interesting to follow, and learn about. Their stories and backgrounds are very plausible. But what I didn't appreciate is Deunan and Briaeros hogging all the screen time. They are present in almost every scene! What about the side characters? In my opinion, they didn't get developed enough. We could have been given more details about their lives and backgrounds. Consider Hitomi. At the end, we still don't know much about her. About her life after work, her relationships and stuff, even if she's the secondary female lead! Even the main characters Deunan and Briaeros didn't get that much of elaboration. The developers of AS should have included a bit more of character elaboration.

--> Enjoyment: (8/10)
It's not really a light film to just sit there and enjoy. Barely any humor in it. The enjoyment comes from the great storyline and the well-made action scenes. I, personally, really enjoyed it. AS also has a good rewatch value. I have rewatched it 3 times, just for the battle scenes and the story.

--> Outro (Overall: 8/10):
AS makes a good story, combined with well-made animation and ok-type characters. Therefore, it makes a good watch. Go check it out, you will probably not regret it. read more

In a word: Disappointing.

I was told this was cyberpunk and expect a dark film. Just reading about it, it would appear that the film is spot on in earning a post-cyberpunk moniker. Perverted uptopia? Check. Mecha/Human enhancements? Check. Violence? Check. Electronic soundtrack? Check. Rainy/depressing environments? Check.

The beginning of the film lives up to these expectations, as well. It opens with a random battle that sets a mood the rest of the movie doesn't follow. Appleseed is too happy, too shallow, too cheesy, and too dull to be considered cyberpunk. The story is very shallow and predictable. Plot twists are figured out long before they are revealed. The artwork is merely mediocre. I'm not necessarily biased against their choice of making everything 3D, but it doesn't really compare to the handdrawn awesomeness mixed with 3D goodness that is Ghost in the Shell, a series many compare Appleseed to.

The soundtrack is laughably cheesy. The original, "orchestral" compositions are pitiful and sound like they were done in Fruity Loops. The music brought in from popular electronic artists is a lot better, but frequently doesn't fit the mood of the visuals. Sound effects were brilliant, however.

I kept expecting the movie to get better, but the ending isn't really any better than the beginning.

Others have mentioned this is indeed lighter fare, but the action sequences make it worth watching as a mindless action flick. I'm confused, however, because the action is quite brief and downplayed. What is present is talking, and lots of it. They talk so much, but the plot is still so simple. What gives?

In short, don't watch this movie expecting to be sucked into a dark, cyberpunk world with a brilliant story. Don't watch this movie expecting to be dazzled by 3D animation. Don't watch this movie for the fight sequences.

Good things:
- Great sound effects
- Cool electronic music
- Some intense, wince-inducing hand-to-hand combat
- Beautiful cityscapes

Bad things:
- Shallow, predictable, boring story
- Shallow, under-developed characters
- Not enough action, too much talking
- Music rarely fit the mood of the scene
- Too happy for "cyberpunk"
- 3D animation doesn't fit the characters very well read more