Appleseed

In the year 2131, Earth has been devastated by a massive war. The last remaining humans now live in a utopian society called Olympus, which is run by a supercomputer known as Gaia and half-populated by Bioroids, artificially created humans that make up half the city’s population. To police Olympus, the government set up a paramilitary organization known as ES.W.A.T., to which our heroine, soldier Deunan Knute, belongs. After terrorist attack the clinic where Bioroids go for much needed life extension procedures, Deunan, with the help of her 75% machine ex-boyfriend and the rest of ES.W.A.T., must locate a mysterious item known as Appleseed in order to ensure the survival of the Bioroids.
This movie was based on the manga by Masamune Shirow, creator of Ghost in the Shell. Visually it is absolutely stunning. It features cel-shaded anime characters in front of almost Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within quality backdrops. Particularly awe-inspiring include the bit at the beginning, when we first see Olympus, as well as the battle at the very beginning. It’s also quite intriguing musically. The music often ranges from the more traditional movie score (by Tetsuya Takahashi) to hardcore techno tracks by artists such as Paul Oakenfold and Boom Boom Satellites.
Plotwise, it’s more or less your typical sci-fi fare. This, of course, means that there are many instances of technobabble, so it probably won’t appeal to everyone. But the action sequences and the more emotional scenes (such as when we learn more about Deunan’s past) are both extremely well done. That, along with one hell of a twist towards the end, make this a film worth watching.
Which leads me to the most important question: sub or dub? Well, the dub wasn’t particularly cringe-inducing, though I still prefer the sub (I’m kinda biased on that regard, though ;) ). All in all, Appleseed is an excellent film that should please sci-fi and anime fans alike.

Score: 9/10