Vexille: 2077 Nihon Sakoku

The story telling in Vexille is entirely unimaginative. Yes, that should be where this review begins; very little to no thought at all went into making the story line. Nearly everything is predictable far before it happens and the things that aren't you won't care about because there isn't any character depth to hold it together. This is not helped by the flashy animation style which accomplishes its shiny veneer at the cost of removing emotions from the faces of the characters. Seriously, it's not fair, the characters don't have that depth to lose. The fact that anime emotions are exaggerated beyond actual ... human expression limits is not actually always a bad thing. The premise of the story on the other hand is somewhat original, but still entirely implausible.

Sound was unimaginative too, didn't stand out in most scenes, and those scenes had a plus as a result. Which leaves the art itself which, as has been stated, is very shiny. But it's kind of a painting over the hole in the wall rather than fill it sort of effect. The flaws are still there and fully visible.

This dystopian flick can be summed up in two words - implausibly childish.

The film initially casts the hook with mystery and intrigue surrounding an technologically advanced but sealed Japan - a Pandora's Box! How exciting! We're enticed with glimpses of fancy gadgets Japan exports to America, Logic dictates the country itself must have something even better hidden behind its doors worthy of all the hype, right? Giant robots? Flying cities? They've been done before but hell we can never get enough of 'em!

What's the extraordinary secret it all builds up to? Drumroll.....

A SINGLE BACKWARD SLUM ON A PANCAKED FLAT DESERT.

No, seriously, the film's imagination goes ... only so far as one two-dimensional slum as flat as the rest of geographical Japan. Why is Japan, 73% of which is mountainous, with some of the best sceneries in the world, FLAT? Hell if I know! Animation studio ran out of budget? Or their render engines can't handle some bumps on the ground?

And what's the supposed reason for flat Japan? Wait for it... A MAN-CHILD scientist managed to gain political power, so turned the ENTIRE JAPANESE POPULATION INTO HIS TOYBOX.

A BABY ROBOTICISED AN ENTIRE COUNTRY TO PLAY WITH ANDROID TOYS.

It's not even the fun kind of mad scientist - the chief villain literally showed up for less than 10 minutes and had an equally pathetic death! HOW DID THIS CHILD MANAGE TO DESTROY A COUNTRY? WHO EVER TOOK THIS BUFFOON SERIOUSLY?

Oh wait... this is 2018 where Trump managed to control the world's biggest superpower, well sh......

Final Fantasy Advent Children had more believable environments and character animations - the characters of Vexille move more robotically than robots, with one-too-many-botox-injection stiff faces to match, and isn't it obligatory to at LEAST throw in abandoned skyscrapers in any dystopian film? They didn't even bother with that! Nothing! The background is literally one 2D square filled with sand texture!

It feels like good people have tried to make it work, but with UNLIMITED possibilities who wrote such a painfully LIMITING treatment? I actually dozed off during one action sequence, it is that generic!

All that anticipation built up to NOTHING - it's like seeing a flat desert beyond the clouds shrouding Laputa - and the central reason behind all the death and carnage? A man-child having fun with robot toys? What the hell!

At least throw in some pseudo-philosophical nonsense as the main motivation for the villain, without the 3D software's fancy lighting, the story is a big, fat, 0.

A very cool premise with a wonderful soundtrack and animation, Vexille gives you a beautiful protagonist set in an almost built upon world with a really, REALLY lackluster story. The movie has a very promising start, but fails to do anything with it. It shortly falls into a rebel alliance vs. the empire plot-line. However, it also fails to do this well.

It was basically like if you watched Star Wars, but you only watched the cantina scene up to Han shooting Greedo, then the meeting about the run to blow up the Death Star(in a somehow extended version) and then the actual run to blow ... up the Death Star. Then the movie ends...YAAAAY...?

There was so much room to do so much more and they just didn't.

Also, there was one part where Vexille was all 'OMG YOU WERE IN JAPAN?! to her boyfriend' and she's upset, but it's just never elaborated on or addressed ever again. I'd say that's a spoiler, but it's really just not relevant.