World Famous Comics: Appleseed Ex Machina (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]
Appleseed Ex Machina (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]
Starring: Kara Greenberg Directed By: Shinji Aramaki Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: HD DVD Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen Label: Warner Home Video Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: April 01, 2008 Running Time: 104 minutes Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Product Description: The next installment in the Appleseed franchise Appleseed: Ex Machinaavailable on DVD! Produced by John Woo and Directed by Shinji Aramakiand featuring next generation CG technology Appleseed: Ex Machina isback bigger and badder!Based on the manga from reknown creator Shirow Masamune in this movieDeunan and Briareos are both partners and lovers. As members of ESWATthe elite forces serving Olympus they are deployed everywhere troublestrikes. The two fighters find their partnership tested in a new way bythe arrival of Tereus who uncannily resembles Briareos before thewartime injuries that led to his becoming a cyborg. At the same timeOlympus finds itself under a stealth attack . Cyborg terrorism deadlynanotech zealots and rioting citizens are just some of the threats thatDeunan must contend with as she fights to save Olympus.System Requirements:Running Time: 104 minutesFormat: DVD HD Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY/FANTASY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 085391200659 Manufacturer No: 120065
Amazon.com: Produced by John Woo and directed by Shinji Aramaki, Appleseed Ex Machina (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 Appleseed felt like a summary of anime's past, while Akira pointed the way to the future. The second Appleseed (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 Ex Machina recall Shirow's Ghost in the Shell, rather than the original Appleseed. 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 Appleseed Ex Machina the feel of an extremely elaborate computer game. Despite the limits of the mo-cap technology, Appleseed Ex Machina 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.) --Charles Solomon
Appleseed sequel This is the sequel to Appleseed, but not an exact sequel. Graphics are gorgeous. I bought this because it was dual (DVD/HD-DVD) so when HD died, I still have a viable format. I would recommend waiting for Blu-Ray, unless you are happy with your upconverter.
Ex Machina gets a B+ If you liked Appleseed you'll like this, but don't expect to see anything new. The eye-popping visuals are back with a finer palette of colors but the storyline is weak. It feels more like an episode than a movie. Personally I liked Vexille (2007) better. It will undoubtedly draw comparisons due to the fact that the writer/director, Fumihiko Sori, is the same man who produced Appleseed (2004). But I think you'll find the storyline to be a little fresher. Still, Ex Machina is worth buying. I suggest that you buy this product at a retail store. My pre-order on the collectable metal case edition arrived sealed with the discs and nothing else. No chapter booklet, nor did it have the special edition comic that came with a retail purchase. A mistake I won't make again.
A Worthy Installment Appleseed Ex Machina is the third movie in the series. As the movies have been substantially spread apart in their realease dates, there are substantial differences in animation between them. The second movie was a huge step up from the first, melding cinematic graphics with excellent animations. Ex Machina takes it yet a step further: cinematic graphics are used exclusively, with no animation. At first I didn't think I'd care for it as much, but the characters have been infused with an even further level of development through the plot and scripting. I was also pleased to find that the annoyance level was turned down (i.e. main character didn't yell out 'Briarios' name 300 times through the movie). All in all, I felt this movie was a worthy installment in the Appleseed series. Here's a brief breakdown of the movie for ease of reading....
-Graphics/Animation: Top notch, character realism nearly rivals that of FF Advent Children. -Music: Heavy hitting techno tunes for the action sequences; quite pleasing -Scripting/Voices: Admirable job on voices and scripting, no complaints -Plot/Character Development: Great focus on main characters, although almost to the point of making the plot a bit hazy. If you liked GITS storyline concepts, you'll definitely like this one; very in depth.
Amazing... best anime since the original If you saw the original Apleseed, you will definitely enjoy its sequel, Ex Machina. The characters are back in unbelievable visual and audio quality. Excellent plot as well; highly enjoyable to any anime/sci-fi fan!
Now that HD-DVD is going the way of the dodo, you can get a great deal on this movie if you already own a player.
Looks great, not the best story. The CG animation is better then ever (not cell-shaded like the last) and looks fantastic. Shirow's art never looked so good. The previous film though, was much better written and a lot less predictable. Ex Machina has distinct story holes and an overly-contrived setup that makes the whole thing seem forced. Story that should have been more developed wasn't and plot that should have been trimmed was needlessly stretched.
I enjoyed the art, as I usually do with Shirow's work, and the voice acting wasn't bad either, but don't expect a brilliant screenplay. With the right expectations it's enjoyable for most any Otaku.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
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