Appleseed Ex Machina – Collector’s Edition
Reviewer: Tom Leins
Issue 103 May 2008
(2 votes, average: 6.5 out of 10)
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The apple of John Woo’s eye?
The Lowdown: Following a non-nuclear war that wiped out half of the population, the city-nation of Olympus remains a relative oasis of calm. Special forces soldiers Deunan, Briareos and Tereus work to preserve peace in Olympus, until a sneak attack by zealots turns the city into an incendiary war zone…
Review: Interestingly enough, the newest addition to the Appleseed franchise, Appleseed Ex Machina, has actually been produced by John Woo, the action director who enchanted everyone from Hong Kong to Hollywood with his high-octane gunplay. Apparently Woo enjoyed Appleseed (2004) so much that he begged Shinji Aramaki to let him be involved with the sequel! As Aramaki’s own gun-heavy style owes so much to Woo’s work, he was only too happy to oblige. The utopian city of Olympus is under attack by terrorists hell-bent on controlling the minds of the world’s remaining population, paving the way for our mismatched trio to save the day. The previous Appleseed adventure proved hugely popular with fans and, sure enough, Appleseed Ex Machina feels like a pumped-up, more fully-rounded version of its predecessor.
Whether or not John Woo’s involvement has been overstated by the producers is a moot point, but fans of his work will enjoy seeing some of his familiar trademarks dusted down for the occasion, including a twisted riff on the by-now obligatory doves! Befitting the cyberpunk feel of Appleseed, this version of the movie comes in a great, futuristic-looking package that has been sprinkled with neat extras. All four featurettes are hugely informative, but I’m frankly baffled as to why the final two require a separate disc. All in all, Appleseed Ex Machina is an effortlessly enjoyable slice of CG chaos that looks truly superb. However, anyone looking for something deep and meaningful might be better off looking elsewhere…
FILM: 7 EXTRAS: 7
DVD Info:
US Certificate: PG-13
Starring: Ai Kobayashi, Jurota Kosugi, Rica Fukami
Directed By: Sinji Aramaki, 2007
Distributor: Warner Video
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 104mins
Price: £15.99
Special Features:
Disc One:
Scene Selection
‘Team-Up: John Woo and Shinji Aramaki’ Featurette
‘Revolution: Animating Ex-Machina’ Featurette
Audio Commentary With Producer Joseph Chu & Animation Historian Jerry Beck
Trailers
Disc Two:
‘The Appleseed Chronicles’ Featurette
‘East Meets West’ Featurette
