I went into this
film with no previous knowledge or experience with the Appleseed franchise, which didn’t matter much in terms of
understanding the story of this prequel. I may have lost some of the nuances
along the way, but there is little within the sci-fi anime storyline which
hasn’t been covered dozens of time before. The emphasis never remains on the
plot any longer than necessary, instead making this prequel a film about
post-apocalyptic spectacle. The visuals and action sequences utilizing them are
the main focus of the film, and they are almost impressive enough to distract
from the cliché and predictable narrative.
Picking up the story
after the devastation of World War III, the world contains as many cyborgs as it
does humans. Deunan is a human mercenary partnered up with the cyborg Briareos,
destroying rogue robots leftover from the war under the employ of the
untrustworthy warlord, Two Horns. Along with worrying about the intentions of
their boss, Deunan and Briareos are faced with another decision when they come
across two citizens from a mysterious utopian city called Olympus .
Fans of the franchise know that this city will be at the center of the
narrative, but this prequel focuses on the time leading up to that discovery.
The story may
lack much imagination in terms of coming up with a new post-apocalyptic vision,
but there is plenty of work in the animation to make up for the narrative
shortcomings. This franchise has always been a few steps ahead of the class in
terms of animation, and Appleseed Alpha
lives up to the reputation with some jaw-dropping visuals. Some of the shots
look nearly real, with the human movement and eyes still remaining the Achilles
heel of animation. Much of Appleseed Alpha, like past films in this franchise,
looks and feels like a video game without any of the fun that comes with
playing along.
The Blu-ray
release comes with an added digital HD copy of the film, along with a
filmmaker’s commentary and an in-depth 11-part making-of documentary. There
have been some criticisms online over the choice to release this film without
the option of the original Japanese-language track, but I never found the
English-speaking voice actors to be a distraction. I suppose it would take a
more dedicated fan than myself to properly condemn or compliment some of the
choices made.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
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