Appleseed Alpha (2014)

Touches You

Simply Perfect

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Appleseed Alpha is described as a computer-animated military science fiction cyberpunk film on Wikipedia. With so many different genres applied to this film, what could possible go wrong?The film is based on the manga Appleseed by Masamune Shirow and functions as a reboot for the 2004 film. It has changed a couple of things both from the original manga and the film, but the basic premise stays the same. It's the 22nd century and the World War Three has left the world in tatters. Deunan and Briareos are two mercenaries eking out a living in the dystopian city of New York where they find themselves trapped in all endless of loop of debt and jobs. Until a clean-up gig crosses their paths with a young girl and her lone protector.What I like the most about this film is the world of Appleseed it introduces me to. The basics of the world are not terribly exciting, what with a dystopian future, cyborgs and all that old stuff, but the details are what make it work. All the cyborgs have great designs and personalities. They're not just your generic robots with human brains. They all show the differences between their builders and the unique tastes of the persons within. Deunan as the more human protagonist is also a fun character and works very well with Briareos, her cyborg mate and partner in crime. This film made me interested in reading the original manga, which is a huge point in its favour.On the other hand, the story is pretty dull and clichéd. It's your typical "fallen empire" slash "hidden super weapon" storyline, with very few deviations from the norm. You can pretty much tell how it's going to go as soon as Deunan and Briareos meet Iris and Olson. Which is a shame because the world itself has such a personality.Even still, the film has its definite upsides. The animation works pretty well, the characters are a lot of fun and even the story is merely clichéd instead of awful. Not for everyone, but I don't personally regret seeing it at all.

I'm not too knowledgeable about Appleseed. What I did know is that it's from Japan and that there's a guy running around in a very cool cyborg suit. Enough reasons to watch! The movie left me a weird taste. It's from Japan but overly trying to be American in the story department. An attempt to appeal to the overseas market? Or is it intrinsic to Appleseed since it's origination? I don't know why they chose New York as location. Tokyo would've felt more appropriate for a cyborg with bunny ears. Furthermore the design of the main villains feels really different (read: Western) from the classic Appleseed design of Briarius. Designwise it felt they were from a different movie. It has to be said they look pretty awesome though. Other things gave me flashbacks to legendary video game Metal Gear Solid, like the hidden super weapon, the big elevator leading to it, the design of the sentry robots. Apart from the clichéd plot the characters did feel lifelike enough to sympathize with them. Ultimately it's a movie that mildly entertains but fails to impress apart from the cyborg designs.

It seems to have been quite a while since the last Appleseed made an appearance, and this prequel contains just about enough action and entertainment to make up for such a prolonged absence. Luci Christian and David Matranga return in this feature to voice Deunan and Briareos, which I am especially glad for. In the original Appleseed film, I felt having different voice actors was not necessarily a mistake, but in the case of Briareos' character, I found he seemed far too robotic, and in that sense, less sympathetic for a majority of the feature, whereas Mr. Matranga's interpretation seems far more human, and in that sense, an easier character for Deunan to get along with, promoting their relationship. Although this is the case in this new Appleseed, unlike in the TV series, or even Ex Machina, there is little mention about the love they share. It is, as always, exhibited in their continued saving of one another, but never are the words actually conveyed. Moreover, for those who really enjoyed some of the characters of the original films, prepare to be somewhat disappointed. As a prequel, such characters do not make a resurgence as our leading couple are yet to reach Olympus, so if you were a massive fan of the character Hitomi (like I am), among many of the other city's inhabitants, you are going to have to sadly go without their presence. Although these characters do not return, the action certainly does. Originally when I realized this film was shorter than the previous two, I questioned if it would contain a narrative that was just as powerful. The film in question answers this by containing an equal number of action scenes and plot, with each of the characters having enough time on screen for the viewer to not only thoroughly enjoy them, but understand their motives and general history. I guess now might be as good a time as any to mention, like many another person has, how gorgeous the visuals are. Unlike previous installments which, although beautiful, still retained the obvious animated look, here, the graphics have accelerated into the future. Deunan especially looks absolutely divine, her face pampered with freckles, dirt, grunge, and other physical trademarks any stereotypical heroine would exhibit in a live action feature. Characters with cybernetic implants, like Briareos and new antagonist Two Horns, appear to be just as stellar, the robotic composition of their forms not only looking inhuman, but feeling it too, whereas the inclusion of jewellery and facial modifications upon some enemy cyborgs beneficially aids in expressing the personality of such characters.Readers may remember when the graphics of Final Fantasy the Spirits Within were first viewed, there was many a criticism that they looked too realistic. The graphics of Appleseed Alpha potentially pushes this envelop even further, with everything from skin tone, to the moist texture of the eyes immersing the viewer into a digitally groundbreaking world, and with nearly 15 years between Final Fantasy and today, hopefully audiences have come to acquire an appreciation for such unfathomable detail. Furthermore, the fight scenes are utterly mesmerizing to behold; the explosions are fantastic, the punch-ups are, as always, frenetically engaging, and the level of destruction is off the charts. Although on one hand, many of the robotic constructs, from the generic creations to the far more dangerous variety are based upon designs previously seen, the new graphical details make all the difference in bringing new life to a series that has been in existence on screen since 1988. If I was to pose a question about the film though, I might query what it is a prequel to. Viewers may remember at the beginning of the original film, Deunan had never seen Briareos in his new outfit prior to her arrival in Olympus, whereas in the TV show, it was her who signed off on the surgery, the two of them moving from place to place prior to 'settling down'. During this film, Briareos has already undergone surgery, hence, causing me to question where in the Appleseed universe this particular movie exists. Regardless, this does not impose on the storyline, and by the end, Appleseed Alpha proves there is still much life in the series yet, with this new venture, looking, sounding and feeling quite unlike anything before. On a side note, if like me you wish for Deunan Knute to one day marry you, after watching this feature, you will certainly be justified in your crush. Cheers!

i have to say that it's a really good movie. some of you would know that this is the third movie of "Applessed" this one is at the same level as the previous two movies "Appelessed " & "Appelessed Saga: Ex Machina". we see the comeback of the the female warrior Deunan Knute and her cyborg lover/partner Briareos and of course as the bad guy we have Tereus. you will find a new character "two horns" which is quite exciting and a has an important part in the movie.there isn't a lot of action scenes , i have to say i hoped for more but the story is quite good and at the end i enjoyed the movie.quick hint of what you will see (not a Spoiler): "Deunan Knute" & "Briareos" are now working for "two horns" as they do some missions for him and at one of the missions they save two individuals "Olson" & "Iris" from death and then they found out those two individuals have an important mission and that is when Deunan & Briareos offered to help to defeat the enemy "Tereus" and save the last hope for mankind.