Appleseed Ex Machina (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]

I've never been a huge fan of John Woo. I think Hard Boiled (1992) is one of the greatest action films ever made, and I liked The Killer (1989), A Better Tomorrow (1986), and Bullet In the Head (1990), but we need to be honest with ourselves and recognize that this guy sold his soul to Hollywood in the mid-1990s and hasn't made a great film since 1992.

He has, however, completely destroyed a sequel to one of the best American movies of recent memory (Mission Impossible) by over-Hollywoodizing a uniquely non-Hollywood film made by Hollywood. That's quite an ironic feat that he should be particularly ashamed of. Now we have Appleseed: Ex Machina (2007) to add to the list of Woo-ish debacles over the past 16 years.

This sequel to the exceptional anime drops the ball in a number of respects, yet still proves to be a marginally entertaining movie. The most obvious fault is that numerous events are near copies of science fiction movies from the West, thus making this endeavor much too conventional for a Japanese anime. In addition, the storyline wasn't as well-conceived as the original. Luckily, this movie has just enough positives to earn a watch. The protagonists are very likable characters, the plot is engaging, and the visuals are very good. The action scenes don't reach the levels of exoticism or quality of the original, but they are still moderately entertaining. In the end this is a very flawed picture that will only satisfy anime action junkies that can look around some mediocre elements.

Now, there were some very specific Woo-ish aspects that really annoyed me. First and foremost are the doves. Yes, there are heaping amounts of flying doves in this Japanese anime film! Why the hell is John Woo so obsessed with doves? Yeah, they provide some ironic symbolism during action scenes, but using them to the degree that he does I have no doubts that he touches himself to pictures of doves when he's alone at night. And the fact that he uses these little birdies in almost every one of his movies proves to be almost as annoying as Rob Zombie's habitual use of white trash folk in his movies. Yes, it's that annoying.

But wait. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions regarding just how much influence Woo had in this watchable (yet severely disappointing) sequel. So I fired up the Special Features option on the DVD menu and watched the 16-minute "Making Of" featurette that focuses specifically on John Woo's influence as a producer. It provided some much needed information regarding just how far this has-been shell of a director has fallen. Let me run down some of the statements made by the Japanese director and producers of this film:

"This is the first time a big time Hollywood director has tried to tackle Japanese Anime."

So Woo isn't even recognized as a director of Chinese cinema anymore. How quaint. No one in this "Making Of" feature even mentioned his Chinese filmography.

"Japanese producers wanted to expand into the Western market and saw that working with John Woo would be a good match."

Nice. If your name is dropped by someone as the foremost expert in Hollywoodization, would you really take that as a compliment? Man, this guy has really hit rock bottom.

"John brought his years of experience in Hollywood to it."

Well, he certainly brought all of the negatives of Hollywood cinema to this production. That was obvious from watching the movie. How many times do you see a Japanese Anime film copy scenes from I Robot and The Matrix Revolutions? Yes, it's really, really pathetic.

The most enlightening statement was with regards to the preliminary Japanese storyboards.

"John took a look at it and came up with some really great notes."

What was particularly hilarious about this statement is that on-screen you see John Woo's head shaking in a disapproving, almost disgusted manner while watching the initial storyboards. It's almost like he's saying to himself, "This is way too Japanese for an American audience. We need more slow-mo shots and conventional elements to reach a wider audience and make more money." Nice job Johnny boy.

Director Shinji Aramaki apparently conceived Ex Machina to be nothing more than a tribute to Woo's work. He says:

"We devised the Cathedral scene before John showed up to pay homage to his work."

It's really too bad that Aramaki was so accommodating to implementing all of Woo's ideas into the film. It effectively crippled a movie that should have been as good as the original.

I hate to say it, but John Woo is a no-talent has-been who has only harmed the international film industry since making Hard Boiled in 1992. I have no problems with him making tripe in America. Heck, that's what American cinema is for. But don't you DARE to take your new-found money-grubbing mediocrity to Japanese anime - one of the most unconventional genres of cinema in the world today.

Someone needs to stop this guy before he attempts to wreck another Asian movie.

I enjoyed the 80's version of Appleseed when I was a teenager and when I learned of the Appleseed (Widescreen) (2004) reboot I immediately went out and got myself a copy of the DVD. It was pretty damn good and figured that it was a one-off. But now we have this sequel which proves that there is actually loads of potential and imagination in the Appleseed universe and certainly enough to warrant further sequels.

Denaun Knute and her mostly robotic, rabbit-eared boyfriend Briareos are still working for ESWAT in the Utopian future city of Olympus when a new personal device, a sort cross between a cell phone and a holographic visor, goes haywire and turns the population into a bunch of techno-zombies. Briareos suffers seizures of his own too and a duplicate of his old human form has been recruited to work with them and save the city from this mysterious evil.

Yes, it's nonsense. But entertaining nonsense and a weird cross between Robocop [Blu-ray], Star Trek: First Contact [Blu-ray] and The Ultimate Matrix Collection [Blu-ray]. But the animation is gorgeous and the story and action absurd enough to keep your attention.

Come on, John Woo, give us another 'un.

The Blu Ray features a very nice 1.85:1 1080p transfer with Dolby Digital Plus sound and a decent amount of extras. I recommend.

THe effects were Great! Top Notch all the way. THe story was a little difficult to follow but if you pay attention it is still a great picture! If you like lots of gunfire this is your movie! Check it out!

Reviewed by MJ Twain

John Woo and Shinji Aramaki's futuristic tale of cyborgs, bioroids, and humans spotlights the E.S.W.A.T. force of Olympus, a post-apocalyptic city.

Governments from around the world are about to join in a massive satellite-sharing operation. Terrorists attack from unexpected directions, causing turmoil in the city. The core of the E.S.W.A.T. team faces not only their biggest mission, but their most intimate challenge ever. Deunan, a hard-charging human, Briareos, her cyborg partner and love interest, and Tereus, the bioroid fashioned from Briareos's DNA must overcome excruciating obstacles to ensure the peace and safety of not only Olympus, but the world.

The motion-capture technology used for this film is much improved from earlier incarnations. Characters' body movements were the most natural I've seen so far. Unfortunately, the animation style felt far more appropriate to a gaming environment than a movie. My fingers got twitchy in expectation of game play that, of course, never happened. This blended animation style continually pulled me from the story so I could check out where they splurged or skimped on detail (ie: fine facial movements verses chunky locks of hair).

As to the story, I found the love triangle an interesting byplay to the larger situation. A conflicted Deunan deals with two versions of the same man. Set within the bigger frame of a terrifying social meltdown, this emotional situation adds tension to an already difficult day.

For the most part, the story was believable. Certain elements were predictable, but they were presented in a manner that will leave anime fans satisfied.

Hardcore fans might find this film a bit off the pace at times, but, overall, it'll be a fun title to add to your collection.

4 out of 5 Discs

Wonderful! the animation and graphics are absolutely brilliant, and the characters and plot are magnificent!